Cat and monkey retinal ganglion cells and their visual functional roles

Shapley, Robert and Hugh Perry, V. (1986) Cat and monkey retinal ganglion cells and their visual functional roles. Trends in Neurosciences, 9 (C), 229-235. (doi:10.1016/0166-2236(86)90064-0).

Record type: Review

Abstract

Retinal ganglion cells, the integrative-output neurons of the retina, can be sorted into functional classes. In the cat, two ganglion cell classes are labelled X and Y. These are distinguished by the different retinal subnetworks that provide their input. X cells are driven by a single linear receptive field center mechanism. Y cells receive center and surround signals and additional signals from nonlinear subunits in their receptive fields. Both X and Y cells are highly sensitive to contrast. X cells project almost exclusively to the A or A1 layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Y cell axons terminate in the A or A1 layers and also the more ventral C layers, and also the superior colliculus. In the monkey, P cells connect the retina to the parvocellular layers of the LGN, have small receptive fields, are wavelength-selective, and are insensitive to contrast. M cells are ganglion cells that send axons to the magnocellular layers of the LGN, are not wavelength-selective, have somewhat larger receptive fields than P cells, and are very sensitive to contrast. Comparisons between cat and monkey ganglion cell classes reveal several important similarities between M cells and X cells.

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