Center-Surround Retinal Ganglion Cells: Receptive Field Organization with Special Reference to Light — Dark Adaptation

Abstract

Once upon a time BOB SHAPLEY and I published a paper entitled “Flux, not illumination, is what cat retinal ganglion cells really care about” (1). And, at the time, we thought that was a pretty good title. But HORACE BARLOW had some objections to it. He thought that we implied that the poor ganglion cells had a peculiar masochistic psyche caring for what turns them off, i.e., adapting flux, rather than caring for what turns them on, which would have been a more natural instinct.