Mechanisms of light adaptation in rat retina

Green, Dowling, Siegel and Ripps (1975) J. gen. Physiol. 65, 483-502 found that both receptors and post-receptoral elements regulate the process of light adaptation in skate retina. As a test of the generality of this conclusion, we repeated their experiments on the retina of the intact albino rat. Increment threshold and intensity-response functions of aspartate-isolated receptor potentials, ERG b-waves and single retinal ganglion cell axons were measured, and all were found to be similar to those described by Green et al. (1975). In particular, the adaptive properties of the b-wave and ganglion cells were similar to each other, but different from those of the receptor potential. We conclude that the retinal mechanisms of light adaptation are similar in rat and skate.