Cell responses in dorsal layers of macaque lateral geniculate nucleus as a function of intensity and wavelength

We studied the relationship between light intensity and cell response to various wavelengths and wavelength combinations in the dorsal, parvocellular layers of the macaque lateral geniculate nucleus. When response is plotted as a function of the logarithm of stimulus intensity, the slope and shape of curves depends on wavelength. For wavelengths near the crossover point between excitatory and suppressive responses, nonmonotonic curves are common. Consequently, the form of spectral-response functions depends on stimulus intensity. Responses to combined stimuli made up of wavelengths close together near one spectral extreme are approximately additive. If one wavelength is near the crossover point, responses are nonadditive so that a midspectral wavelength, only producing a weak excitatory response, is able to occlude more vigorous responses to wavelengths near the spectral ends. Responses of parvocellular layer cells are consistent with their being a result of linear interaction of opponent cone mechanisms, the response of each of which follows a modified hyperbolic tangent function (22). Responses to all wavelength combinations, even those showing strikingly nonadditive effects, could be predicted from the additive opponent model described above.