Document Detail


Dark light, rod saturation, and the absolute and incremental sensitivity of mouse cone vision.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20844144     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Visual thresholds of mice for the detection of small, brief targets were measured with a novel behavioral methodology in the dark and in the presence of adapting lights spanning ∼8 log(10) units of intensity. To help dissect the contributions of rod and cone pathways, both wild-type mice and mice lacking rod (Gnat1(-/-)) or cone (Gnat2(cpfl3)) function were studied. Overall, the visual sensitivity of mice was found to be remarkably similar to that of the human peripheral retina. Rod absolute threshold corresponded to 12-15 isomerized pigment molecules (R*) in image fields of 800 to 3000 rods. Rod "dark light" (intrinsic retinal noise in darkness) corresponded to that estimated previously from single-cell recordings, 0.012 R* s(-1) rod(-1), indicating that spontaneous thermal isomerizations are responsible. Psychophysical rod saturation was measured for the first time in a nonhuman species and found to be very similar to that of the human rod monochromat. Cone threshold corresponded to ∼5 R* cone(-1) in an image field of 280 cones. Cone dark light was equivalent to ∼5000 R* s(-1) cone(-1), consistent with primate single-cell data but 100-fold higher than predicted by recent measurements of the rate of thermal isomerization of mouse cone opsins, indicating that nonopsin sources of noise determine cone threshold. The new, fully automated behavioral method is based on the ability of mice to learn to interrupt spontaneous wheel running on the presentation of a visual cue and provides an efficient and highly reliable means of examining visual function in naturally behaving normal and mutant mice.
Authors:
Frank Naarendorp; Tricia M Esdaille; Serenity M Banden; John Andrews-Labenski; Owen P Gross; Edward N Pugh
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience     Volume:  30     ISSN:  1529-2401     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Neurosci.     Publication Date:  2010 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-09-16     Completed Date:  2010-10-25     Revised Date:  2011-09-22    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8102140     Medline TA:  J Neurosci     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  12495-507     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. f.naarendorp@neu.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Behavior, Animal / radiation effects
Calibration
Darkness*
Female
GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits / genetics,  radiation effects
Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics,  radiation effects
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Knockout
Photic Stimulation
Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / physiology*,  radiation effects
Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells / physiology*,  radiation effects
Transducin / genetics,  radiation effects
Vision, Ocular / physiology*,  radiation effects
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
EY-02660/EY/NEI NIH HHS; R01 EY002660-32/EY/NEI NIH HHS
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits; 0/Gnat1 protein, mouse; 0/Gnat2 protein, mouse; EC 3.6.1.-/Transducin; EC 3.6.5.1/Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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