Extensive cone-dependent spectral opponency within a discrete zone of the lateral geniculate nucleus supporting mouse color vision
Joshua W. Mouland, Abigail Pienaar, Christopher Williams, Alex J. Watson, Robert J. Lucas, Timothy M. Brown
Abstract
) and multispectral stimuli that allow selective modulation of signaling by individual opsin classes. Remarkably, we find many (∼25%) LGN cells are color opponent, that such cells are localized to a distinct medial LGN zone and that their properties cannot simply be explained by the proposed retinal opponent mechanisms. Opponent responses in LGN can be driven solely by cones, independent of cone-opsin expression gradients and rod input, with many cells exhibiting spatially congruent antagonistic receptive fields. Our data therefore suggest previously unidentified mechanisms may support extensive and sophisticated color processing in the mouse LGN.