2 NEURONAL RETINAL COMPONENTS OF THE ELECTRORETINOGRAM C-WAVE

Although the rising phase of the b-wave seems to be generated mainly i n the rod bipolar cells and the cone on-bipolar cells, the slow compon ent of the electroretinogram, the c-wave, evidently originates in the Muller cells and the pigment epithelium. The c-wave has three componen ts. One cornea-positive component derives from the pigment epithelium, while a distal cornea-negative component (slow PIII) and a proximal s low component originate in the Muller cells. This third proximal compo nent of the c-wave differs between mammalian species: it is negative i n the rat retina, positive in the rabbit and human retina and may be l acking in the cat retina.