Voltage Noise in <i>Limulus</i> Visual Cells

Abstract

Intracellular recordings from Limulus eccentric cells suggest that the generator potential arises from the superposition of numerous discrete fluctuations in membrane conductance. If this is so, a relation between frequency response to flickering light and noise characteristics under steady light may be predicted. This prediction is verified experimentally. If a discrete fluctuation model is assumed, the data indicate that increased light has two major effects: (i) the discrete events are strongly light-adapted to smaller size, and (ii) the time course of each event becomes briefer.