Time course of threshold elevation in ON-OFF ganglion cells ofNecturus retina: Effects of lateral interactions

A flashed background field can elevate threshold in ON-OFF ganglion cells in both a transient and sustained phase. Changing the size of this flashed background field, conditioning field, demonstrated that larger fields further increase the magnitude of the transient threshold elevation and decrease the magnitude of threshold elevation during the sustained phase. Decentered discs that transiently elevate thresholds in the ganglion cells affected bipolar responses only minimally. These experiments suggest amacrine cells, conducting signals laterally across the retina, contribute to the transient threshold elevation observed in the ganglion cells.