Light increments and decrements are encoded in the retina by ON and OFF ganglion cells. The polarity of these cells' responses is thought to be fixed, but Tikidji-Hamburyan and colleagues now demonstrate in mouse and pig retina that they can change depending on ambient illuminance. For instance, an OFF cell can gain or lose an ON response at different light levels. Such changes in response polarity propagate to higher visual centers in vivo.
- Alexandra Tikidji-Hamburyan
- Katja Reinhard
- Thomas A Münch
