Temporal and spatial properties of suppressive rod-cone interaction.

Recordings were obtained from rods and horizontal cells of Xenopus, using an eyecup preparation. The enhancement of cone signals produced by rod backgrounds was measured using flickering red spots of varying intensity and diameter, and the experiments were repeated with cone stimuli consisting of alteration of wavelengths of 660 and 605 nm, adjusted for equal effects on rods or cones ("silent substitution"). Rods responded to red flicker with discrete wavelets up to 5 Hz. The characteristics of suppressive rod-cone interaction (SRCI) depend on the precise stimulus parameters. In particular, the reported low-pass attenuation of SRCI is absent with silent substitution. An analysis of the responses to backgrounds in horizontal cells, and the effects of the red light flashes in rods, led to the conclusion that the characteristics of SRCI are determined partially by the fact that "cone" stimuli excite rods and vice versa. This result simplifies the mechanism of SRCI and permits a comparison between the studies of SRCI using electroretinograms and horizontal cells.