A second order model of the optic generator potential and its relation to Stevens' power function.

The component PIII of the electroretinogram representing the optic generator potential was recorded after stimulation with short stimuli with different light intensity. It is shown that the impulse response function of a linear second order model with intensity-dependent coefficients can be well fit to the recordings. Two of its parameters, after logarithmic transformations, are linearly dependent on the luminance while the third parameter varies only within a small interval. It is therefore possible to describe the relation between PIII and luminance in a linearized second order model. Furthermore, both the type of the function relating the gain of the model to the luminance and its exponent are nearly identical with the psychophysic function relating luminance to subjective brightness. Further physiological implications are also considered.