STUDIES ON THE INTRARETINAL ACTION POTENTIAL

PART III. INTRARETINAL NEGATIVE POTENTIAL AS COMPARED WITH b-WAVE IN THE ERG

Abstract

The intraretinal negative action potential and the b-wave in the ERG were subjected to the present research with the use of microillumination method on the bullfrog's eye.
1. The intraretinal negative potential recorded from the illuminated retinal area was found to fall off sharply in the surrounding area. On the contrary, the b-wave usually showed a poor or no localization to the microillumination, being detectable almost everywhere on the retinal surface.
2. b-wave elicited by a microillumination leaves behind a refractoriness not only to that focal retinal area but equally to the surrounding wide non-focal area. The effect of stray light upon the b-wave was discussed.
3. Suggestion was made that the optic nerve discharge is more closely related to the intraretinal negative potential than to the b-wave.
4. The b-wave or at least most part of it was found to originate in the bipolar cell layer.