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Circadian Rhythms of Rod–Cone Dominance in the Japanese Quail Retina

When the Japanese quail is held in constant darkness, retinal responses (ERG b-waves) increase during the animal’s subjective night and decrease during its subjective day. Rod photoreceptors dominate the b-wave responses (λmax = 506 nm) to all stimulus intensities at night but only to those intensities below the cone threshold during the day. Above the cone threshold, cones dominate b-wave responses (λmax, ∼550–600 nm) during the day regardless of the state of retinal adaptation. Apparently a circadian oscillator enables cone signals to block rod signals during the day but not at night. The ERG b-wave reflects the activity of bipolar cells that are postsynaptic to rods and cones. The ERG a-wave reflects the activity of both rods and cones. The amplitude of the isolated a-wave (PIII) changes with time of day, as does that of the b-wave, but its spectral sensitivity does not. The PIII responses are maximal at ∼520 nm both day and night and may reflect multiple receptor mechanisms. The shift in rod–cone dominance detected with the ERG b-wave resembles the Purkinje shift of human vision but, unlike the Purkinje shift, does not require a change in ambient light intensity. The shift occurs in constant darkness, with a period of ∼24 hr indicative of a circadian rhythm in the functional organization of the retina.