LAUSR

Our visual performance varies remarkably across space. For instance, our central vision exhibits the highest spatial and chromatic sensitivity, whereas temporal sensitivity is higher for our peripheral than central vision. Our high-acuity central vision is initiated in the cone photoreceptors which are packed in a dense array in the fovea. The density and morphology of cones differ remarkably between foveal and peripheral primate retina, but our knowledge about their functional differences remain quite poor. In the past we have shown that cone signals in the fovea are two-fold slower than in the peripheral retina consistent with the difference in the temporal sensitivity of cone-mediated vision to high-frequency flicker. But we are far from understanding the full breadth of these topographic differences in cone signaling across primate retina over a wide range of light inputs. I will present recent results of a detailed comparison of functional properties - such as kinetics, gain and cellular noise - of cones in the fovea with that in rest of the primate retina. I will show how foveal cones adapt across a wide range of lumice and if they exhibit differences in the amplitude, kinetics or timescales of adaptation when compared to cones in the peripheral primate retina. Lastly, I will share our findings on the relative contribution of cone vs circuit mechanisms towards lumice adaptation in the domit neural circuit in the fovea - the midget ganglion cell pathway.