Fig. 5: Quantal properties of preferred and null starburst cholinergic connections to DSGCs.

a Replacing extracellular Ca²⁺ with Sr²⁺ results in the desynchronization of vesicle release, providing insights into the unitary properties of preferred connections (see Supplementary Fig. 4 for responses elicited in Ca²⁺ external). Inset shows miniature-like fast asynchronous events (aEPSCs) observed after brief depolarization of the starburst to activate preferred connections. Markers indicate the rising phase of detected aEPSCs. b The waveforms of the average aEPSCs measured in (a), overlaid with the average sEPSCs in the same cell. c The instantaneous frequencies (Freq.) of aEPSCs mediated by preferred (pref) or null connections (n = 7 pairs each). Data represented as mean ± SEM. Cumulative frequency distribution (CDF) of the peak (d) and rise times (e) of the sEPSCs compared to the aEPSCs, elicited by preferred- and null-connections (n = 7 pairs each from 9 retinas). Data represented as mean ± SEM. Source data are provided as a Source Data file for Fig. 5a–e.