The luminance dependence of spatial vision in the cat

The spatial contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution of three cats and one human observer were measured behaviorally over a 6 log unit range of luminances. At the highest luminance tested (16 cd/m2), cats showed lower peak contrast sensitivity than humans and their sensitivity function was located at lower spatial frequencies. As luminance was reduced, the contrast sensitivity of both humans and cats declined while both peak sensitivity and the limit of resolution shifted toward lower frequencies. These changes were more pronounced in humans and resulted in a convergence of both contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution of the two species at the lowest luminance tested. The dissimilarities in the luminance dependence of spatial vision in cats and humans appear to be due to differences in both photoreceptor distribution and receptor-ganglion cell convergence.

[1]  R. H. Steinberg,et al.  The distribution of rods and cones in the retina of the cat (Felis domesticus) , 1973, The Journal of comparative neurology.

[2]  C. Enroth-Cugell,et al.  The contrast sensitivity of retinal ganglion cells of the cat , 1966, The Journal of physiology.

[3]  R. Gunter.  The absolute threshold for vision in the cat , 1951, The Journal of physiology.

[4]  H. Barlow,et al.  Change of organization in the receptive fields of the cat's retina during dark adaptation , 1957, The Journal of physiology.

[5]  D. G. Green,et al.  Optical and retinal factors affecting visual resolution. , 1965, The Journal of physiology.

[6]  DIE REFLEKTORISCHE PUPILLENSTARRE (ARGYLL‐ROBERTSON) UND DIE PTOSIS ALS OBERFLÄCHENSYMPTOME BEI BASALEN, VORWIEGEND LUISCHEN GEHIRNKRANKHEITEN , 1928 .

[7]  P Lennie,et al.  The control of retinal ganglion cell discharge by receptive field surrounds. , 1975, The Journal of physiology.

[8]  L L SLOAN,et al.  Peripheral visual acuity with special reference to scotopic illumination. , 1947, American journal of ophthalmology.

[9]  D. H. Kelly,et al.  A study of sine-wave contrast sensitivity by two psychophysical methods , 1973 .

[10]  V. Buren,et al.  The Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer , 1964 .

[11]  F. Thorn.  Detection of luminance differences by the cat. , 1970, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[12]  S. Shlaer.  THE RELATION BETWEEN VISUAL ACUITY AND ILLUMINATION , 1937, The Journal of general physiology.

[13]  M. Pirenne,et al.  Accuracy and Sensitivity of the Human Eye , 1952, Nature.

[14]  L. Maffei,et al.  Contrast in night vision. , 1973, Vision research.

[15]  L. Missotten.  Estimation of the ratio of cones to neurons in the fovea of the human retina. , 1974, Investigative ophthalmology.

[16]  D. G. Green,et al.  Contrast sensitivity of the human peripheral retina. , 1969, Vision research.

[17]  R Blake,et al.  Visual resolution in the cat. , 1974, Vision research.

[18]  J. L. Brown,et al.  Rod-cone Interaction in the Dark-adapted Eye , 1957 .

[19]  E Kaplan,et al.  Effects of dark adaptation on spatial and temporal properties of receptive fields in cat lateral geniculate nucleus. , 1979, The Journal of physiology.

[20]  C. Cavonius,et al.  Relationships between luminance and visual acuity in the rhesus monkey , 1973, The Journal of physiology.

[21]  A. G. Snapper,et al.  SKED software system. Revision D. Time-shared SUPERSKED. Manual 3 , 1977 .

[22]  P. Hammond,et al.  The Purkinje shift in cat: extent of the mesopic range , 1971, The Journal of physiology.

[23]  R. L. de Valois,et al.  Psychophysical studies of monkey vision. 3. Spatial luminance contrast sensitivity tests of macaque and human observers. , 1974, Vision research.

[24]  Christina Enroth-Cugell,et al.  Cone signals in the cat's retina , 1977, The Journal of physiology.

[25]  J. J. Vos,et al.  Resolution and contrast sensitivity at low luminances. , 1972, Vision research.

[26]  C. Enroth-Cugell,et al.  Light distribution in the cat's retinal image , 1978, Vision Research.

[27]  Douglas C. Smith,et al.  Critical flicker fusion in normal and binocularly deprived cats , 1980, Vision Research.

[28]  L. Maffei,et al.  Selective impairment of contrast sensitivity in kittens exposed to periodic gratings. , 1978, The Journal of physiology.

[29]  F. Campbell,et al.  Optical quality of the human eye , 1966, The Journal of physiology.

[30]  H. B. Barlow,et al.  The size and shape of the pupil in lightly anaesthetized cats as a function of luminance , 1975, Vision Research.

[31]  A. B. Bonds,et al.  The bleaching and regeneration of rhodopsin in the cat , 1974, The Journal of physiology.