A statistical analysis and comparison of soma diameter spectra for classical neurones from different regions of the cat retinal ganglion cell layer.

Multimodal soma diameter spectra for neurones of the cat retinal ganglion cell layer have been represented by three subpopulations of independent, normal diameter distribution. Recurrent computation according to the technique of Vibert and Caille (1978) has extracted best fit populations for samples from various regions of central and peripheral retina. The model subpopulations from all these regions did not differ significantly in their relative proportions or variance. Significant progressive variation between subpopulations representing different regions of retina were observed only in the mean diameter of the alpha and beta mode cells. The parameters of the gamma mode population were statistically uniform across the retina. The cat retina thus appears to be more homogeneously organized than has been suggested elsewhere.