The spatial arrangement of cones in the primate fovea (original) (raw)

Nature volume 360, pages 677–679 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

THE retinae of Old World primates contain three classes of light-sensitive cone, which exhibit peak absorption in different spectral regions1–4. But how are the different types of cone arranged in the hexagonal mosaic of the fovea? This question has often been answered with artists' impressions5–7, but never with direct measurements. Staining for antibodies specific to the short-wave photopigment has revealed a sparse, semiregular array of cones8; but nothing is known about the arrangement of the more numerous long- and middle-wave cones. Are they randomly distributed, with chance aggregations of one type, as Hartridge postulated in these columns nearly 50 years ago9,10? Or do they exhibit a regular alternation, recalling the systematic mosaics seen in some non-mammalian species6,11? Or, conversely, is there positive clumping of particular cone types, as might be expected if local patches of cones were descended from a single precursor cell? We have made direct microspectrophotometric measurements of patches of foveal retina from Old World monkeys, and report here that the distribu tion of long- and middle-wave cones is locally random. These two cone types are present in almost equal numbers, and not in the ratio of 2:1 that has been postulated for the human fovea.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bowmaker, J. K., Dartnall, H. J. A. & Mollon, J. D. J. Physiol. 298, 131–143 (1980).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  2. Baylor, D. A., Nunn, B. J. & Schnapf, J. L. J. Physiol. 390, 145–160 (1987).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  3. Hárosi, F. I. J. gen. Physiol. 89, 717–743 (1987).
    Article Google Scholar
  4. Bowmaker, J. K. et al. J. exp. Biol. 156, 1–19 (1991).
    CAS PubMed Google Scholar
  5. Walraven, P. L. Vision Res. 14, 1339–1343 (1974).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  6. Lythgoe, J. N. The Ecology of Vision (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford. 1979).
    Google Scholar
  7. Williams, D. R. et al. in From Pigments to Perception (eds Valberg, A. & Lee, B. B.) (Plenum, New York, 1991).
    Google Scholar
  8. Curcio, A. C. et al. J. comp. Neurol. 312, 610–624 (1991).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  9. Hartridge, H. Nature 153, 45–46 (1944).
    Article ADS Google Scholar
  10. Hartridge, H. Nature 157, 482 (1946).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  11. Bowmaker, J. K. & Kunz, Y. W. Vision Res. 27, 2101–2108 (1987).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  12. Liebman, P. A. & Entine, G. J. opt. Soc. Am. 54, 1451–1459 (1964).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  13. Knowles, A. & Dartnall, H. J. A. The Photobiology of Vision (Academic, London, 1977).
    Google Scholar
  14. Mollon, J. D., Bowmaker, J. K. & Jacobs, G. H. Proc. R. Soc. B 222, 373–399 (1984).
    ADS CAS Google Scholar
  15. Dobelle, W. H., Marks, W. B. & MacNichol, E. F. Jr Science 168, 1508–1510 (1969).
    Article ADS Google Scholar
  16. Hartridge, H. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. 232, 519–671 (1947).
    Article Google Scholar
  17. Reid, R. C., Shapley, R. M. Nature 356, 716–718 (1992).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  18. Lennie, P. & Haake, P. W., in Computational Models of Visual Processing (eds Landy, M. S. & Movshon, J. A.) 71–82 (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1991).
    Google Scholar
  19. Marc, R. E. & Sperling, H. G. Science 196, 454–456 (1977).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  20. de Monasterio, F. M., Schein, S. J. & McCrane, E. P. Science 213, 1278–1281 (1981).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  21. Anhelt, P. K., Kolb, H. & Pflug, R. J. comp. Neurol. 255, 18–34 (1987).
    Article Google Scholar
  22. Cicerone, C. M. & Nerger, J. L. Vision Res. 29, 115–128 (1989).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  23. Pokorny, J., Smith, V. C. & Wesner, M. F. in From Pigments to Perception (eds Valberg, A. & Lee, B. B.) (Plenum, New York, 1991).
    Google Scholar
  24. Mollon, J. D. J. exp. Biol 146, 21–38 (1989).
    CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
    J. D. Mollon
  2. Institute of Ophthalmology, University of London, Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
    J. K. Bowmaker

Authors

  1. J. D. Mollon
  2. J. K. Bowmaker

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mollon, J., Bowmaker, J. The spatial arrangement of cones in the primate fovea.Nature 360, 677–679 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/360677a0

Download citation

This article is cited by