Inner Retinal Mechanisms Engaged by Retinal Electrical Stimulation

Abstract

Pulse duration is an important parameter for effective activation of the inner retina by epiretinal stimulation. Brief pulses evoke action potentials only in ganglion cells. However, longer pulses also evoke sustained synaptic currents by stimulating glutamate release from bipolar cell terminals, which, in turn, evokes the release of GABA and glycine from amacrine cells.