Saturation of rod-initiated signals in 2-month-old human infants. 1988

A M Brown
Infant Vision Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.

Absolute and increment thresholds were measured for 2-month-old human infants by using long-wavelength adapting fields and short-wavelength test flashes. The test flashes were 500 or 10 msec in duration and varied from 6 degrees to 16 degrees in diameter. The psychometric functions measured in the dark were steep for large, long-duration test flashes and shallow for small, brief flashes. Under conditions of light adaptation, the psychometric functions were consistently steep. The shape of the area-threshold function depended on the criterial percent correct responses; when a criterion of 75% correct responses was used, the slope of the area-threshold function was much steeper than predicted by Ricco's law. These results are interpreted in the context of a model in which rod-initiated signals saturate at a locus proximal to the rods themselves but distal to most of the considerable spatial pooling of visual signals that occurs in infants.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D010775 Photic Stimulation Investigative technique commonly used during ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY in which a series of bright light flashes or visual patterns are used to elicit brain activity. Stimulation, Photic,Visual Stimulation,Photic Stimulations,Stimulation, Visual,Stimulations, Photic,Stimulations, Visual,Visual Stimulations
D010786 Photoreceptor Cells Specialized cells that detect and transduce light. They are classified into two types based on their light reception structure, the ciliary photoreceptors and the rhabdomeric photoreceptors with MICROVILLI. Ciliary photoreceptor cells use OPSINS that activate a PHOSPHODIESTERASE phosphodiesterase cascade. Rhabdomeric photoreceptor cells use opsins that activate a PHOSPHOLIPASE C cascade. Ciliary Photoreceptor Cells,Ciliary Photoreceptors,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor Cells,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptors,Cell, Ciliary Photoreceptor,Cell, Photoreceptor,Cell, Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Cells, Ciliary Photoreceptor,Cells, Photoreceptor,Cells, Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Ciliary Photoreceptor,Ciliary Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell, Ciliary,Photoreceptor Cell, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptor Cells, Ciliary,Photoreceptor Cells, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptor, Ciliary,Photoreceptor, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptors, Ciliary,Photoreceptors, Rhabdomeric,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor Cell
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000221 Adaptation, Ocular The adjustment of the eye to variations in the intensity of light. Light adaptation is the adjustment of the eye when the light threshold is increased; DARK ADAPTATION when the light is greatly reduced. (From Cline et al., Dictionary of Visual Science, 4th ed) Light Adaptation,Adaptation, Light,Adaptations, Light,Adaptations, Ocular,Light Adaptations,Ocular Adaptation,Ocular Adaptations
D012684 Sensory Thresholds The minimum amount of stimulus energy necessary to elicit a sensory response. Sensory Threshold,Threshold, Sensory,Thresholds, Sensory
D014785 Vision, Ocular The process in which light signals are transformed by the PHOTORECEPTOR CELLS into electrical signals which can then be transmitted to the brain. Vision,Light Signal Transduction, Visual,Ocular Vision,Visual Light Signal Transduction,Visual Phototransduction,Visual Transduction,Phototransduction, Visual,Transduction, Visual

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