Role of the functional state of the central nervous system in the mechanism forming responses from the peripheral and central parts of the visual analyzer.

Chronic experiments on rabbits showed that changes in the functional state of the central nervous system induced by Nembutal and changes in the brainstem reticular formation induced by aminazine had significant effects on the formation of the early receptor potential, a-wave, and oscillatory potentials of retinal ERG signals, as well as on oscillatory potentials in the superior colliculi and visual cortex. Nembutal inhibited the formation of the early receptor potential, the a-wave, and the second and third ERG oscillatory potentials, and had similar effects on the oscillatory potentials of the superior colliculi and the visual cortex. Only the first oscillatory potential was enhanced in all visual system structures. Aminazine had long-lasting enhancing effects on the formation of the early receptor potential and the a-wave and on the oscillatory potentials of the retina, superior colliculi, and visual cortex. This enhancement may be associated with "release" of the retina and central structures from the constant inhibitory influences of the brainstem reticular formation.