The elementary representation of spatial and color vision in the human retina

Sabesan, Ramkumar; Schmidt, Brian P.; Tuten, William S.; Roorda, Austin

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1600797

Cited by 101 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…DeValois and DeValois 65 have, for example, outlined a specific model for how this could be done. Alternatively, other vision scientists including ourselves 59,62,[78][79][80][81] have pointed out that if there is a population of ganglion cells specifically dedicated to color, elaborate anatomical circuits to separate luminance from color signals from the midget ganglion cells are rendered unnecessary. Indeed, this appears to be the case and the system presented here is a beautiful example of efficient coding in the nervous system.…”

Section: Unique Huesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence for the parallel representation of color and high-resolution achromatic form within the midget ganglion cell mosaic It is now technically possible, using adaptive optics, to confine a targeted spot of light to an individual cone 85 and this has been done in Austin Roorda's lab in retinas in which cones have been classified as L, M, and S. 81 Above, we have presented the idea that most midget ganglion cells are edge detectors that are agnostic to color with four types of hue detector much more sparsely represented in parallel. This predicts that in the central retina a majority of L and M-cones, when stimulated individually, even those surrounded by cones of the opposite type and thus are the centers of strongly L/M opponent midget ganglion cells, will give rise to the achromatic sensation of white, not color.…”

Section: Unique Huesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, contrary to conventional ideas, cones surrounded by cones of the opposite spectral type, for example, an M cone with six L cones in the immediate surround, which would be expected to have the very strongest M/L opponency, were as likely to mediate 'white' responses as cones with more mixed surrounds. 81 By far, the simplest and most compelling explanation for these results is that the midget ganglion cells associated with most cones serve as agnostic edge detectors and they give rise to achromatic sensations when stimulated. While they do, indeed, encode wavelength information making them responsive to equiluminant edges, their main function is to provide high-resolution edge signals and they do not contribute to hue perception.…”

Section: Unique Huesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolution of the circuitry for conscious color vision in primates

Neitz

2016

Eye

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There are many ganglion cell types and subtypes in our retina that carry color information. These have appeared at different times over the history of the evolution of the vertebrate visual system. They project to several different places in the brain and serve a variety of purposes allowing wavelength information to contribute to diverse visual functions. These include circadian photoentrainment, regulation of sleep and mood, guidance of orienting movements, detection and segmentation of objects. Predecessors to some of the circuits serving these purposes presumably arose before mammals evolved and different functions are represented by distinct ganglion cell types. However, while other animals use color information to elicit motor movements and regulate activity rhythms, as do humans, using phylogenetically ancient circuitry, the ability to appreciate color appearance may have been refined in ancestors to primates, mediated by a special set of ganglion cells that serve only that purpose. Understanding the circuitry for color vision has implications for the possibility of treating color blindness using gene therapy by recapitulating evolution. In addition, understanding how color is encoded, including how chromatic and achromatic percepts are separated is a step toward developing a complete picture of the diversity of ganglion cell types and their functions. Such knowledge could be useful in developing therapeutic strategies for blinding eye disorders that rely on stimulating elements in the retina, where more than 50 different neuron types are organized into circuits that transform signals from photoreceptors into specialized detectors many of which are not directly involved in conscious vision.

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Section: Unique Huesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Unique Huesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Unique Huesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolution of the circuitry for conscious color vision in primates

Neitz

2016

Eye

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“…For example, single cone sensitivity thresholds are necessarily reported as thresholds to light increments [6,15,17]. In a study of single cone color appearance, background light options were limited, requiring high intensity fields to mask the residual background of the stimulus light [16]. By cascading two AOMs we can now extend experimental options enabling background-free, high-contrast (1:10 10 ) visual stimulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, we tested if cascaded AOM switching can produce small spot visual stimuli with light levels that can be directly compared to prior studies that used single AOM switching [6,[15][16][17]. We recorded sensitivity thresholds for 3 and 10 pixel square stimuli (1.21 µm and 4.35 µm on the retina, respectively) against a visible 840 nm imaging raster, which effectively masked the 543 nm background.…”

Section: Psychophysics: Background Extinction and Small Spot Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra-high contrast retinal display system for single photoreceptor psychophysics

Domdei¹,

Domdei²,

Reiniger³

et al. 2017

Biomed. Opt. Express

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Due to the enormous dynamic range of human photoreceptors in response to light, studying their visual function in the intact retina challenges the stimulation hardware, specifically with regard to the displayable luminance contrast. The adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) is an optical platform that focuses light to extremely small retinal extents, approaching the size of single photoreceptor cells. However, the current light modulation techniques produce spurious visible backgrounds which fundamentally limit experimental options. To remove unwanted background light and to improve contrast for high dynamic range visual stimulation in an AOSLO, we cascaded two commercial fiber-coupled acousto-optic modulators (AOMs) and measured their combined optical contrast. By compensating for zero-point differences in the individual AOMs, we demonstrate a multiplicative extinction ratio in the cascade that was in accordance with the extinction ratios of both single AOMs. When latency differences in the AOM response functions were individually corrected, single switch events as short as 50 ns with radiant power contrasts up to 1:10 10 were achieved. This is the highest visual contrast reported for any display system so far. We show psychophysically that this contrast ratio is sufficient to stimulate single foveal photoreceptor cells with small and bright enough visible targets that do not contain a detectable background. Background-free stimulation will enable photoreceptor testing with custom adaptation lights. Furthermore, a larger dynamic range in displayable light levels can drive photoreceptor responses in cones as well as in rods.

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Color Vision

Webster

2018

Stevens' Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

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Advances in our understanding of color vision are proceeding on many fronts. These include analyses of the interplay of light and materials in natural scenes, to the genetic, neural, and cognitive processes underlying color sensitivity and percepts. The basic model for color vision, where the light spectrum is first sampled by receptors and then represented in opponent mechanisms, remains a cornerstone of color theory. However, the ways in which these processes are manifest and operate are surprisingly varied and still poorly understood. New developments continue to reveal that color vision involves highly flexible coding schemes that support sophisticated perceptual inferences. Characterizing these processes is providing fundamental insights not only into our experience of color, but into perception and neural coding generally.

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The elementary representation of spatial and color vision in the human retina

Abstract: The origins of spatial and color vision in the human retina.

Cited by 101 publications

References 45 publications

Evolution of the circuitry for conscious color vision in primates

Evolution of the circuitry for conscious color vision in primates

Ultra-high contrast retinal display system for single photoreceptor psychophysics

Color Vision

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