Luminance neurons in the pretectal olivary nucleus mediate the pupillary light reflex in the rhesus monkey

1995 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
PaulD.R. Gamlin ◽  
Hongyu Zhang ◽  
RobertJ. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Rhesus Monkey ◽  
Pupillary Light Reflex ◽  
Light Reflex ◽  
Pupillary Light ◽  
Olivary Nucleus

Primate Pupillary Light Reflex: Receptive Field Characteristics of Pretectal Luminance Neurons

2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 3168-3178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Clarke ◽  
Hongyu Zhang ◽  
Paul D. R. Gamlin
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Pupillary Light Reflex ◽  
Central Visual Field ◽  
Light Reflex ◽  
Pupillary Light ◽  
Pupillary Responses ◽  
Retinal Input ◽  
Pretectal Nucleus ◽  
Luminance Stimulus ◽  
Olivary Nucleus

This study examined the response properties of luminance neurons found within the pretectal olivary nucleus (PON), which is the pretectal nucleus that mediates the primate pupillary light reflex. We recorded the activity of 121 single units in alert, behaving rhesus monkeys trained to fixate a back-projected laser spot while a luminance stimulus was presented. The change in the firing rate of luminance neurons was measured as a function of changes in the size, retinal illuminance, and position of the stimulus. We found that these neurons possessed large receptive fields, which were sufficiently distinct that they could be placed into three classes. Approximately 40% of the PON luminance neurons responded well to stimuli presented in either the contralateral or ipsilateral hemifield. These neurons were classified as “bilateral” neurons. In the primate, retinal projections to the pretectum and other retinorecipient nuclei are organized such that direct retinal input can only account for the contralateral hemifield responses of these neurons. Thus the representation of the ipsilateral hemifield in “bilateral” PON cells must result from input from a nonretinal source. Approximately 30% of PON neurons responded only to stimuli presented in the contralateral hemifield. These neurons were classified as “contralateral” neurons. Finally, approximately 30% of PON neurons responded to stimuli presented at or near the animal's fixation point. These neurons were classified as “macular” neurons. The mean firing rates of all classes of neurons increased with increases in stimulus size and luminance within their receptive fields. The thresholds and magnitude of these responses closely matched those that would be appropriate for mediating the pupillary light reflex. In summary, these results suggest that all three classes of PON neurons contribute to the behaviorally observed pupillomotor field characteristics in which stimuli at the macular produce substantially larger pupillary responses than more peripheral stimuli. The contributions of “bilateral” and “contralateral” cells account for pupillary responses evoked by peripheral changes in luminance, whereas the contributions of all three cell classes account for the larger pupillary responses evoked by stimuli in the central visual field.

Characteristics of the Pupillary Light Reflex in the Alert Rhesus Monkey

2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 3179-3189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Clarke ◽  
Hongyu Zhang ◽  
Paul D. R. Gamlin
Keyword(s):  
Rhesus Monkey ◽  
Neural Control ◽  
Pupil Diameter ◽  
Sympathetic Innervation ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Pupillary Light Reflex ◽  
Light Reflex ◽  
Pupillary Light ◽  
Pupillary Responses ◽  
Dilator Muscle

This study investigated the static and dynamic characteristics of the pupillary light reflex (PLR) in the alert rhesus monkey. Temporal characteristics of the PLR were investigated with Maxwellian viewing during sinusoidal changes in illumination of a 36° stimulus in both monkeys and humans. Bode plots of the PLR response were fitted by a linear model composed of a delay combined with a cascaded first- and second-order filter. The Bode magnitude plots conformed to this model with a sharp roll-off above 1.3 Hz for the human PLR and 1.9 Hz for the monkey PLR. Bode phase angle plots were fitted by this model with a delay of 280 ms for humans and 160 ms for monkeys. To investigate the influence of the sympathetic innervation of the iris on steady-state pupil diameter, dynamics of pupillary responses, and the latency of the PLR, we blocked this innervation pharmacologically with a selective alpha-1 adrenoreceptor antagonist. Although there was a resultant miosis (decrease in pupil diameter) from the relaxation of the pupil dilator muscle, no other measures of the PLR, including the dynamics and latency, were significantly affected by this treatment. We examined the pupillary responses evoked by visual stimuli presented either binocularly or monocularly at various locations on a 80 × 60° tangent screen. These pupillomotor fields revealed that, as has been reported for humans, stimuli at the fovea and surrounding macular region of monkeys produce substantially larger pupillary responses than more peripheral stimuli and that binocular responses are substantially greater than can be accounted for by the linear summation of binocular retinal illuminance. In conclusion, we found that the spatial characteristics of the PLR of the rhesus monkey are very similar, in all important aspects, to those reported for humans and that the temporal responses of the PLR are comparable between the two species. The rhesus monkey thus provides an excellent model for experimental studies of the neural control of the pupil.

scholarly journals Effect of Topical Anti-Glaucoma Medications on Late Pupillary Light Reflex, as Evaluated by Pupillometry

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakoor Ba-Ali ◽  
Birgit Sander ◽  
Adam Elias Brøndsted ◽  
Henrik Lund-Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Pupillary Light Reflex ◽  
Light Reflex ◽  
Pupillary Light

scholarly journals Relationship between Human Pupillary Light Reflex and Circadian System Status

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e0162476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Angeles Bonmati-Carrion ◽  
Konstanze Hild ◽  
Cheryl Isherwood ◽  
Stephen J. Sweeney ◽  
Victoria L. Revell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian System ◽  
Pupillary Light Reflex ◽  
Light Reflex ◽  
Pupillary Light

scholarly journals Pupillary Light Reflex is Altered in Adolescent Depression

2017 ◽  
pp. S277-S284 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. MESTANIKOVA ◽  
I. ONDREJKA ◽  
M. MESTANIK ◽  
D. CESNEKOVA ◽  
Z. VISNOVCOVA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Parasympathetic Nervous System ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Pupillary Light Reflex ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Light Reflex ◽  
Pupillary Light ◽  
Adolescent Patients ◽  
Depressive Group

Major depressive disorder is associated with abnormal autonomic regulation which could be noninvasively studied using pupillometry. However, the studies in adolescent patients are rare. Therefore, we aimed to study the pupillary light reflex (PLR), which could provide novel important information about dynamic balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system in adolescent patients suffering from major depression. We have examined 25 depressive adolescent girls (age 15.2±0.3 year) prior to pharmacotherapy and 25 age/gender-matched healthy subjects. PLR parameters were measured separately for both eyes after 5 min of rest using Pupillometer PLR-2000 (NeurOptics, USA). The constriction percentual change for the left eye was significantly lower in depressive group compared to control group (-24.12±0.87 % vs. –28.04±0.96%, p˂0.01). Furthermore, average constriction velocity and maximum constriction velocity for the left eye were significantly lower in depressive group compared to control group (p˂0.05, p˂0.01, respectively). In contrast, no significant between-groups differences were found for the right eye. Concluding, this study revealed altered PLR for left eye indicating a deficient parasympathetic activity already in adolescent major depression. Additionally, the differences between left and right eye could be related to functional lateralization of autonomic control in the central nervous system.

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