VISUAL TRANSDUCTION IN PRIMATE PHOTORECEPTORS

我们建议研究人类视杆细胞和视锥细胞的视觉传导， 食蟹猴（Macaca fascicularis），一种具有与人类相似感光器的猴子。 我们将记录单个细胞的光电流，以确定它们的 响应特性、电噪声和光谱灵敏度。 这 实验信息将被用来开发一个定量的图片， 灵长类感光器编码视觉刺激的方式。 我们打算探讨以下问题： 1)什么是动力学的光电流杆和这三种 的cone？ 2)强度信息如何表示？ 3)背景光在多大的强度范围内 脱敏？ 4)在黑暗中和暴露于 明亮（漂白）的光？ 5)视杆细胞和三种视锥细胞的光谱灵敏度是多少 在整个可见光区的光谱？ 6)换能机制的功能参数是否变化 系统地与杆的外段中的纵向位置一起 还有圆锥体 7)灵长类动物的光感受器是电耦合的吗？

We propose to examine visual transduction in rods and cones of humans and Macaca fascicularis, a monkey with photoreceptors similar to those of man. We will record the photocurrents of single cells to determine their response properties, electrical noise, and spectral sensitivities. This experimental information will be used to develop a quantitative picture of the way in which primate photoreceptors encode visual stimuli. We intend to approach the following questions: 1) What are the kinetics of the photocurrents of rods and the three kinds of cone? 2) How is intensity information represented? 3) How much, and over what range of intensities do background lights desensitize? 4) What electrical noise is present in darkness and after exposure to bright (bleaching) light? 5) What is the spectral sensitivity of the rods and the three kinds of cone throughout the visible region of the spectrum? 6) Do the functional parameters of the transduction mechanism vary systematically with longitudinal position in the outer segments of the rods and cones? 7) Are primate photoreceptors electrically coupled?