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Patterson SS, Girresch RJ, Mazzaferri MA, Bordt AS, Piñon-Teal WL, Jesse BD, Perera DCW, Schlepphorst MA, Kuchenbecker JA, Chuang AZ, Neitz J, Marshak DW, Ogilvie JM. Synaptic Origins of the Complex Receptive Field Structure in Primate Smooth Monostratified Retinal Ganglion Cells. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0280-23.2023. [PMID: 38290840 PMCID: PMC11078106 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0280-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Considerable progress has been made in studying the receptive fields of the most common primate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types, such as parasol RGCs. Much less is known about the rarer primate RGC types and the circuitry that gives rise to noncanonical receptive field structures. The goal of this study was to analyze synaptic inputs to smooth monostratified RGCs to determine the origins of their complex spatial receptive fields, which contain isolated regions of high sensitivity called "hotspots." Interestingly, smooth monostratified RGCs co-stratify with the well-studied parasol RGCs and are thus constrained to receiving input from bipolar and amacrine cells with processes sharing the same layer, raising the question of how their functional differences originate. Through 3D reconstructions of circuitry and synapses onto ON smooth monostratified and ON parasol RGCs from central macaque retina, we identified four distinct sampling strategies employed by smooth and parasol RGCs to extract diverse response properties from co-stratifying bipolar and amacrine cells. The two RGC types differed in the proportion of amacrine cell input, relative contributions of co-stratifying bipolar cell types, amount of synaptic input per bipolar cell, and spatial distribution of bipolar cell synapses. Our results indicate that the smooth RGC's complex receptive field structure arises through spatial asymmetries in excitatory bipolar cell input which formed several discrete clusters comparable with physiologically measured hotspots. Taken together, our results demonstrate how the striking differences between ON parasol and ON smooth monostratified RGCs arise from distinct strategies for sampling a common set of synaptic inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara S Patterson
- Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NewYork 14617
| | - Rebecca J Girresch
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri 63103
| | - Marcus A Mazzaferri
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98104
| | - Andrea S Bordt
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98104
- Departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Wendy L Piñon-Teal
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri 63103
| | - Brett D Jesse
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri 63103
| | | | | | - James A Kuchenbecker
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98104
| | - Alice Z Chuang
- Departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Jay Neitz
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98104
| | - David W Marshak
- Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
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Gallego-Ortega A, Norte-Muñoz M, Di Pierdomenico J, Avilés-Trigueros M, de la Villa P, Valiente-Soriano FJ, Vidal-Sanz M. Alpha retinal ganglion cells in pigmented mice retina: number and distribution. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:1054849. [PMID: 36530520 PMCID: PMC9751430 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.1054849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: To identify and characterize numerically and topographically the population of alpha retinal ganglion cells (αRGCs) and their subtypes, the sustained-response ON-center αRGCs (ONs-αRGCs), which correspond to the type 4 intrinsically photosensitive RGCs (M4-ipRGCs), the transient-response ON-center αRGCs (ONt-αRGCs), the sustained-response OFF-center αRGCs (OFFs-αRGCs), and the transient-response OFF-center αRGCs (OFFt-αRGCs) in the adult pigmented mouse retina.Methods: The αRGC population and its subtypes were studied in flat-mounted retinas and radial sections immunodetected against non-phosphorylated high molecular weight neurofilament subunit (SMI-32) or osteopontin (OPN), two αRGCs pan-markers; Calbindin, expressed in ONs-αRGCs, and amacrines; T-box transcription factor T-brain 2 (Tbr2), a key transcriptional regulator for ipRGC development and maintenance, expressed in ipRGCs and GABA-displaced amacrine cells; OPN4, an anti-melanopsin antibody; or Brn3a and Brn3c, markers of RGCs. The total population of RGCs was counted automatically and αRGCs and its subtypes were counted manually, and color-coded neighborhood maps were used for their topographical representation.Results: The total mean number of αRGCs per retina is 2,252 ± 306 SMI32+αRGCs and 2,315 ± 175 OPN+αRGCs (n = 10), representing 5.08% and 5.22% of the total number of RGCs traced from the optic nerve, respectively. αRGCs are distributed throughout the retina, showing a higher density in the temporal hemiretina. ONs-αRGCs represent ≈36% [841 ± 110 cells (n = 10)] of all αRGCs and are located throughout the retina, with the highest density in the temporal region. ONt-αRGCs represent ≈34% [797 ± 146 cells (n = 10)] of all αRGCs and are mainly located in the central retinal region. OFF-αRGCs represent the remaining 32% of total αRGCs and are divided equally between OFFs-αRGCs and OFFt-αRGCs [363 ± 50 cells (n = 10) and 376 ± 36 cells (n = 10), respectively]. OFFs-αRGCs are mainly located in the supero-temporal peripheral region of the retina and OFFt-αRGCs in the mid-peripheral region of the retina, especially in the infero-temporal region.Conclusions: The combination of specific antibodies is a useful tool to identify and study αRGCs and their subtypes. αRGCs are distributed throughout the retina presenting higher density in the temporal area. The sustained ON and OFF response subtypes are mainly located in the periphery while the transient ON and OFF response subtypes are found in the central regions of the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gallego-Ortega
- Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Norte-Muñoz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Johnny Di Pierdomenico
- Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Marcelino Avilés-Trigueros
- Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Pedro de la Villa
- Department of Systems Biology, Laboratory of Visual Neurophysiology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Javier Valiente-Soriano
- Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- *Correspondence: Manuel Vidal-Sanz Francisco Javier Valiente-Soriano
| | - Manuel Vidal-Sanz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- *Correspondence: Manuel Vidal-Sanz Francisco Javier Valiente-Soriano
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Tapia ML, Nascimento-Dos-Santos G, Park KK. Subtype-specific survival and regeneration of retinal ganglion cells in response to injury. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:956279. [PMID: 36035999 PMCID: PMC9411869 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.956279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are a heterogeneous population of neurons that function synchronously to convey visual information through the optic nerve to retinorecipient target areas in the brain. Injury or disease to the optic nerve results in RGC degeneration and loss of visual function, as few RGCs survive, and even fewer can be provoked to regenerate their axons. Despite causative insults being broadly shared, regeneration studies demonstrate that RGC types exhibit differential resilience to injury and undergo selective survival and regeneration of their axons. While most early studies have identified these RGC types based their morphological and physiological characteristics, recent advances in transgenic and gene sequencing technologies have further enabled type identification based on unique molecular features. In this review, we provide an overview of the well characterized RGC types and identify those shown to preferentially survive and regenerate in various regeneration models. Furthermore, we discuss cellular characteristics of both the resilient and susceptible RGC types including the combinatorial expression of different molecular markers that identify these specific populations. Lastly, we discuss potential molecular mechanisms and genes found to be selectively expressed by specific types that may contribute to their reparative capacity. Together, we describe the studies that lay the important groundwork for identifying factors that promote neural regeneration and help advance the development of targeted therapy for the treatment of RGC degeneration as well as neurodegenerative diseases in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary L Tapia
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Gabriel Nascimento-Dos-Santos
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Kevin K Park
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
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4
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Abstract
Retinal circuits transform the pixel representation of photoreceptors into the feature representations of ganglion cells, whose axons transmit these representations to the brain. Functional, morphological, and transcriptomic surveys have identified more than 40 retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types in mice. RGCs extract features of varying complexity; some simply signal local differences in brightness (i.e., luminance contrast), whereas others detect specific motion trajectories. To understand the retina, we need to know how retinal circuits give rise to the diverse RGC feature representations. A catalog of the RGC feature set, in turn, is fundamental to understanding visual processing in the brain. Anterograde tracing indicates that RGCs innervate more than 50 areas in the mouse brain. Current maps connecting RGC types to brain areas are rudimentary, as is our understanding of how retinal signals are transformed downstream to guide behavior. In this article, I review the feature selectivities of mouse RGCs, how they arise, and how they are utilized downstream. Not only is knowledge of the behavioral purpose of RGC signals critical for understanding the retinal contributions to vision; it can also guide us to the most relevant areas of visual feature space. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 8 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kerschensteiner
- John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Department of Neuroscience; Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA;
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5
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Aranda ML, Schmidt TM. Diversity of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells: circuits and functions. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:889-907. [PMID: 32965515 PMCID: PMC8650628 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03641-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The melanopsin-expressing, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are a relatively recently discovered class of atypical ganglion cell photoreceptor. These ipRGCs are a morphologically and physiologically heterogeneous population that project widely throughout the brain and mediate a wide array of visual functions ranging from photoentrainment of our circadian rhythms, to driving the pupillary light reflex to improve visual function, to modulating our mood, alertness, learning, sleep/wakefulness, regulation of body temperature, and even our visual perception. The presence of melanopsin as a unique molecular signature of ipRGCs has allowed for the development of a vast array of molecular and genetic tools to study ipRGC circuits. Given the emerging complexity of this system, this review will provide an overview of the genetic tools and methods used to study ipRGCs, how these tools have been used to dissect their role in a variety of visual circuits and behaviors in mice, and identify important directions for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos L Aranda
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Tiffany M Schmidt
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
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6
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Raghuram V, Werginz P, Fried SI. Scaling of the AIS and Somatodendritic Compartments in α S RGCs. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:436. [PMID: 31611777 PMCID: PMC6777007 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The anatomical properties of the axon initial segment (AIS) are tailored in certain types of CNS neurons to help optimize different aspects of neuronal function. Here, we questioned whether the AISs of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) were similarly customized, and if so, whether they supported specific RGC functions. To explore this, we measured the AIS properties in alpha sustained RGCs (α S RGCs) of mouse; α S RGCs sizes vary systematically along the nasal temporal axis of the retina, making these cells an attractive population with which to study potential correlations between AIS properties and cell size. Measurements of AIS length as well as distance from the soma revealed that both were scaled to cell size, i.e., cells with large dendritic fields had long AISs that were relatively far from the soma. Within the AIS, the percentage of Na v 1.6 voltage-gated sodium channels remained highly consistent, regardless of cell size or other AIS properties. Although ON RGCs were slightly larger than OFF cells at any given location of the retina, the level of scaling and relative distribution of voltage-gated sodium channels were highly similar. Computational modeling revealed that AIS scaling influenced spiking thresholds, spike rate as well as the kinetics of individual action potentials, Interestingly, the effect of individual features of the AIS varied for different neuronal functions, e.g., AIS length had a larger effect on the efficacy by which the AIS initiated spike triggered the somatic spike than it did on repetitive spiking. The polarity of the effect varied for different properties, i.e., increases to soma size increased spike threshold while increases to AIS length decreased threshold. Thus, variations in the relative level of scaling for individual components could fine tune threshold or other neuronal functions. Light responses were highly consistent across the full range of cell sizes suggesting that scaling may post-synaptically shape response stability, e.g., in addition to several well-known pre-synaptic contributors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vineeth Raghuram
- Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Paul Werginz
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Institute for Analysis and Scientific Computing, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shelley I. Fried
- Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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7
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Marc RE, Sigulinsky CL, Pfeiffer RL, Emrich D, Anderson JR, Jones BW. Heterocellular Coupling Between Amacrine Cells and Ganglion Cells. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:90. [PMID: 30487737 PMCID: PMC6247779 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
All superclasses of retinal neurons, including bipolar cells (BCs), amacrine cells (ACs) and ganglion cells (GCs), display gap junctional coupling. However, coupling varies extensively by class. Heterocellular AC coupling is common in many mammalian GC classes. Yet, the topology and functions of coupling networks remains largely undefined. GCs are the least frequent superclass in the inner plexiform layer and the gap junctions mediating GC-to-AC coupling (GC::AC) are sparsely arrayed amidst large cohorts of homocellular AC::AC, BC::BC, GC::GC and heterocellular AC::BC gap junctions. Here, we report quantitative coupling for identified GCs in retinal connectome 1 (RC1), a high resolution (2 nm) transmission electron microscopy-based volume of rabbit retina. These reveal that most GC gap junctions in RC1 are suboptical. GC classes lack direct cross-class homocellular coupling with other GCs, despite opportunities via direct membrane contact, while OFF alpha GCs and transient ON directionally selective (DS) GCs are strongly coupled to distinct AC cohorts. Integrated small molecule immunocytochemistry identifies these as GABAergic ACs (γ+ ACs). Multi-hop synaptic queries of RC1 connectome further profile these coupled γ+ ACs. Notably, OFF alpha GCs couple to OFF γ+ ACs and transient ON DS GCs couple to ON γ+ ACs, including a large interstitial amacrine cell, revealing matched ON/OFF photic drive polarities within coupled networks. Furthermore, BC input to these γ+ ACs is tightly matched to the GCs with which they couple. Evaluation of the coupled versus inhibitory targets of the γ+ ACs reveals that in both ON and OFF coupled GC networks these ACs are presynaptic to GC classes that are different than the classes with which they couple. These heterocellular coupling patterns provide a potential mechanism for an excited GC to indirectly inhibit nearby GCs of different classes. Similarly, coupled γ+ ACs engaged in feedback networks can leverage the additional gain of BC synapses in shaping the signaling of downstream targets based on their own selective coupling with GCs. A consequence of coupling is intercellular fluxes of small molecules. GC::AC coupling involves primarily γ+ cells, likely resulting in GABA diffusion into GCs. Surveying GABA signatures in the GC layer across diverse species suggests the majority of vertebrate retinas engage in GC::γ+ AC coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Bryan William Jones
- Moran Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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8
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Pathway-Specific Asymmetries between ON and OFF Visual Signals. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9728-9740. [PMID: 30249795 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2008-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual processing is largely organized into ON and OFF pathways that signal stimulus increments and decrements, respectively. These pathways exhibit natural pairings based on morphological and physiological similarities, such as ON and OFF α-ganglion cells in the mammalian retina. Several studies have noted asymmetries in the properties of ON and OFF pathways. For example, the spatial receptive fields (RFs) of OFF α-cells are systematically smaller than ON α-cells. Analysis of natural scenes suggests that these asymmetries are optimal for visual encoding. To test the generality of ON/OFF asymmetries, we measured the spatiotemporal RF properties of multiple RGC types in rat retina. Through a quantitative and serial classification, we identified three functional pairs of ON and OFF RGCs. We analyzed the structure of their RFs and compared spatial integration, temporal integration, and gain across ON and OFF pairs. Similar to previous results from the cat and primate, RGC types with larger spatial RFs exhibited briefer temporal integration and higher gain. However, each pair of ON and OFF RGC types exhibited distinct asymmetric relationships between RF properties, some of which were opposite to the findings of previous reports. These results reveal the functional organization of six RGC types in the rodent retina and indicate that ON/OFF asymmetries are pathway specific.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Circuits that process sensory input frequently process increments separately from decrements, so-called ON and OFF responses. Theoretical studies indicate that this separation, and associated asymmetries in ON and OFF pathways, may be beneficial for encoding natural stimuli. However, the generality of ON and OFF pathway asymmetries has not been tested. Here we compare the functional properties of three distinct pairs of ON and OFF pathways in the rodent retina and show that their asymmetries are pathway specific. These results provide a new view on the partitioning of vision across diverse ON and OFF signaling pathways.
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9
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Malkemper EP, Peichl L. Retinal photoreceptor and ganglion cell types and topographies in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes
) and Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus
). J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:2078-2098. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erich Pascal Malkemper
- Department of General Zoology; Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen; Essen Germany
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences; Czech University of Life Sciences; Praha 6 Czech Republic
| | - Leo Peichl
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research; Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Dr. Senckenbergische Anatomie, Goethe University Frankfurt; Frankfurt am Main Germany
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10
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Murphy-Baum BL, Taylor WR. Diverse inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms shape temporal tuning in transient OFF α ganglion cells in the rabbit retina. J Physiol 2018; 596:477-495. [PMID: 29222817 DOI: 10.1113/jp275195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Neurons combine excitatory and inhibitory signals to perform computations. In the retina, interactions between excitation and inhibition enable neurons to detect specific visual features. We describe how several excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms work together to allow transient OFF α ganglion cells in the rabbit retina to respond selectively to high temporal frequencies and thus detect faster image motion. The weightings of these different mechanisms change with the contrast and spatiotemporal properties of the visual input, and thereby support temporal tuning in α cells over a range of visual conditions. The results help us understand how ganglion cells selectively integrate excitatory and inhibitory signals to extract specific information from the visual input. ABSTRACT The 20 to 30 types of ganglion cell in the mammalian retina represent parallel signalling pathways that convey different information to the brain. α ganglion cells are selective for high temporal frequencies in visual inputs, which makes them particularly sensitive to rapid motion. Although α ganglion cells have been studied in several species, the synaptic basis for their selective temporal tuning remains unclear. Here, we analyse excitatory synaptic inputs to transient OFF α ganglion cells (t-OFF α GCs) in the rabbit retina. We show that convergence of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs within the bipolar cell terminals presynaptic to the t-OFF α GCs shifts the temporal tuning to higher temporal frequencies. GABAergic inhibition suppresses the excitatory input at low frequencies, but potentiates it at high frequencies. Crossover glycinergic inhibition and sodium channel activity in the presynaptic bipolar cells also potentiate high frequency excitatory inputs. We found differences in the spatial and temporal properties, and contrast sensitivities of these mechanisms. These differences in stimulus selectivity allow these mechanisms to generate bandpass temporal tuning of t-OFF α GCs over a range of visual conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Murphy-Baum
- Casey Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3375 SW Terwilliger Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - W Rowland Taylor
- Casey Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health and Science University, 3375 SW Terwilliger Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
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11
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Pickard GE, So KF, Pu M. Dorsal raphe nucleus projecting retinal ganglion cells: Why Y cells? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 57:118-31. [PMID: 26363667 PMCID: PMC4646079 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/01/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Retinal ganglion Y (alpha) cells are found in retinas ranging from frogs to mice to primates. The highly conserved nature of the large, fast conducting retinal Y cell is a testament to its fundamental task, although precisely what this task is remained ill-defined. The recent discovery that Y-alpha retinal ganglion cells send axon collaterals to the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) in addition to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), medial interlaminar nucleus (MIN), pretectum and the superior colliculus (SC) has offered new insights into the important survival tasks performed by these cells with highly branched axons. We propose that in addition to its role in visual perception, the Y-alpha retinal ganglion cell provides concurrent signals via axon collaterals to the DRN, the major source of serotonergic afferents to the forebrain, to dramatically inhibit 5-HT activity during orientation or alerting/escape responses, which dis-facilitates ongoing tonic motor activity while dis-inhibiting sensory information processing throughout the visual system. The new data provide a fresh view of these evolutionarily old retinal ganglion cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary E Pickard
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583, United States; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, United States; GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kwok-Fai So
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China; Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Mingliang Pu
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory on Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory for Visual Impairment and Restoration (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, China.
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12
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Kwon OJ, Lee ES, Jeon CJ. Density and types of calretinin-containing retinal ganglion cells in rabbit. Neuroscience 2014; 278:343-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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13
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Xu HP, Sun JH, Tian N. A general principle governs vision-dependent dendritic patterning of retinal ganglion cells. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:3403-22. [PMID: 24737624 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic arbors of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) collect information over a certain area of the visual scene. The coverage territory and the arbor density of dendrites determine what fraction of the visual field is sampled by a single cell and at what resolution. However, it is not clear whether visual stimulation is required for the establishment of branching patterns of RGCs, and whether a general principle directs the dendritic patterning of diverse RGCs. By analyzing the geometric structures of RGC dendrites, we found that dendritic arbors of RGCs underwent a substantial spatial rearrangement after eye-opening. Light deprivation blocked both the dendritic growth and the branch patterning, suggesting that visual stimulation is required for the acquisition of specific branching patterns of RGCs. We further showed that vision-dependent dendritic growth and arbor refinement occurred mainly in the middle portion of the dendritic tree. This nonproportional growth and selective refinement suggest that the late-stage dendritic development of RGCs is not a passive stretching with the growth of eyes, but rather an active process of selective growth/elimination of dendritic arbors of RGCs driven by visual activity. Finally, our data showed that there was a power law relationship between the coverage territory and dendritic arbor density of RGCs on a cell-by-cell basis. RGCs were systematically less dense when they cover larger territories regardless of their cell type, retinal location, or developmental stage. These results suggest that a general structural design principle directs the vision-dependent patterning of RGC dendrites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Ping Xu
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520
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Miyazaki T. Retinal ganglion cell topography in juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel). FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2014; 40:23-32. [PMID: 23775518 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-013-9820-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2013] [Accepted: 06/05/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The retinal ganglion cell distribution, which is known to reflect fish feeding behavior, was investigated in juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis. During the course of examination, regularly arrayed cells with a distinctive larger soma, which may be regarded as motion-sensitive cells, were found. The topographical distribution of ordinary-sized ganglion cells, which is usually utilized to estimate fish visual axis and/or visual field characteristics, showed that the highest-density area, termed the area centralis, was localized in the ventral-temporal retina. The retinal topography of ordinary-sized ganglion cells seems to reflect the bluefin tuna's foraging behavior; while cruising, cells in the area centralis may signal potential prey, such as small schooling pelagic fishes or squids, that are present in the upward-forward direction. Judging from morphological characteristics, the large ganglion cells localized in the small temporal retinal area seem to be equivalent to physiologically categorized off-center Y-cells of cat, which are stimulated by a transient dark spot in a bright visual field. It was inferred that presumed large off-center cells in the temporal retina detect movements of agile prey animals escaping from bluefin tuna as a silhouette against environmental light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taeko Miyazaki
- Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurima-machiya-cho, Tsu, 514-5-8507, Mie, Japan,
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15
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Margolis DJ, Gartland AJ, Singer JH, Detwiler PB. Network oscillations drive correlated spiking of ON and OFF ganglion cells in the rd1 mouse model of retinal degeneration. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86253. [PMID: 24489706 PMCID: PMC3904909 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Following photoreceptor degeneration, ON and OFF retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the rd-1/rd-1 mouse receive rhythmic synaptic input that elicits bursts of action potentials at ∼ 10 Hz. To characterize the properties of this activity, RGCs were targeted for paired recording and morphological classification as either ON alpha, OFF alpha or non-alpha RGCs using two-photon imaging. Identified cell types exhibited rhythmic spike activity. Cross-correlation of spike trains recorded simultaneously from pairs of RGCs revealed that activity was correlated more strongly between alpha RGCs than between alpha and non-alpha cell pairs. Bursts of action potentials in alpha RGC pairs of the same type, i.e. two ON or two OFF cells, were in phase, while bursts in dissimilar alpha cell types, i.e. an ON and an OFF RGC, were 180 degrees out of phase. This result is consistent with RGC activity being driven by an input that provides correlated excitation to ON cells and inhibition to OFF cells. A2 amacrine cells were investigated as a candidate cellular mechanism and found to display 10 Hz oscillations in membrane voltage and current that persisted in the presence of antagonists of fast synaptic transmission and were eliminated by tetrodotoxin. Results support the conclusion that the rhythmic RGC activity originates in a presynaptic network of electrically coupled cells including A2s via a Na(+)-channel dependent mechanism. Network activity drives out of phase oscillations in ON and OFF cone bipolar cells, entraining similar frequency fluctuations in RGC spike activity over an area of retina that migrates with changes in the spatial locus of the cellular oscillator.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Margolis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DJM); (PBD)
| | - Andrew J. Gartland
- Department Physiology and Biophysics and Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Joshua H. Singer
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Peter B. Detwiler
- Department Physiology and Biophysics and Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DJM); (PBD)
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16
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17
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Wong RCS, Cloherty SL, Ibbotson MR, O'Brien BJ. Intrinsic physiological properties of rat retinal ganglion cells with a comparative analysis. J Neurophysiol 2012; 108:2008-23. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.01091.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian retina contains 15–20 different retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types, each of which is responsible for encoding different aspects of the visual scene. The encoding is defined by a combination of RGC synaptic inputs, the neurotransmitter systems used, and their intrinsic physiological properties. Each cell's intrinsic properties are defined by its morphology and membrane characteristics, including the complement and localization of the ion channels expressed. In this study, we examined the hypothesis that the intrinsic properties of individual RGC types are conserved among mammalian species. To do so, we measured the intrinsic properties of 16 morphologically defined rat RGC types and compared these data with cat RGC types. Our data demonstrate that in the rat different morphologically defined RGC types have distinct patterns of intrinsic properties. Variation in these properties across cell types was comparable to that found for cat RGC types. When presumed morphological homologs in rat and cat retina were compared directly, some RGC types had very similar properties. The rat A2 cell exhibited patterns of intrinsic properties nearly identical to the cat alpha cell. In contrast, rat D2 cells (ON-OFF directionally selective) had a very different pattern of intrinsic properties than the cat iota cell. Our data suggest that the intrinsic properties of RGCs with similar morphology and suspected visual function may be subject to variation due to the behavioral needs of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond C. S. Wong
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- National Vision Research Institute, Australian College of Optometry, Carlton, Australia; and
| | - Shaun L. Cloherty
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- National Vision Research Institute, Australian College of Optometry, Carlton, Australia; and
| | - Michael R. Ibbotson
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- National Vision Research Institute, Australian College of Optometry, Carlton, Australia; and
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Brendan J. O'Brien
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
- National Vision Research Institute, Australian College of Optometry, Carlton, Australia; and
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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19
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Prentice JS, Homann J, Simmons KD, Tkačik G, Balasubramanian V, Nelson PC. Fast, scalable, Bayesian spike identification for multi-electrode arrays. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19884. [PMID: 21799725 PMCID: PMC3140468 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2010] [Accepted: 04/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We present an algorithm to identify individual neural spikes observed on high-density multi-electrode arrays (MEAs). Our method can distinguish large numbers of distinct neural units, even when spikes overlap, and accounts for intrinsic variability of spikes from each unit. As MEAs grow larger, it is important to find spike-identification methods that are scalable, that is, the computational cost of spike fitting should scale well with the number of units observed. Our algorithm accomplishes this goal, and is fast, because it exploits the spatial locality of each unit and the basic biophysics of extracellular signal propagation. Human interaction plays a key role in our method; but effort is minimized and streamlined via a graphical interface. We illustrate our method on data from guinea pig retinal ganglion cells and document its performance on simulated data consisting of spikes added to experimentally measured background noise. We present several tests demonstrating that the algorithm is highly accurate: it exhibits low error rates on fits to synthetic data, low refractory violation rates, good receptive field coverage, and consistency across users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Prentice
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
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Hong YK, Kim IJ, Sanes JR. Stereotyped axonal arbors of retinal ganglion cell subsets in the mouse superior colliculus. J Comp Neurol 2011; 519:1691-711. [PMID: 21452242 PMCID: PMC3652686 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) have been classified into around 20 subtypes based on the shape, size, and laminar position of their dendritic arbors. In most cases tested, RGC subtypes classified in this manner also have distinct functional signatures. Here we asked whether RGC subtypes defined by dendritic morphology have stereotyped axonal arbors in their main central target, the superior colliculus (SC). We used transgenic and viral methods to sparsely label RGCs and characterized both dendritic and axonal arbors of individual RGCs. Axon arbors varied in size, shape, and laminar position. For each of 12 subtypes defined dendritically, however, axonal arbors in the contralateral SC showed considerable stereotypy. We found no systematic relationship between the laminar position of an RGC's dendrites within the inner plexiform layer and that of its axon within the retinorecipient zone of the SC, suggesting that distinct developmental mechanisms specify dendritic and axonal laminar positions. We did, however, note a significant correlation between the dendritic field sizes of RGCs and the laminar position of their axon arbors: RGCs with larger dendritic areas, and hence larger receptive fields, projected to deeper strata within the SC. Finally, combining these new results with previous physiological analyses, we find that RGC subtypes that share similar functional properties, such as directional selectivity, project to similar depths within the SC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y. Kate Hong
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - In-Jung Kim
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Joshua R. Sanes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
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21
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Abramian M, Lovell NH, Morley JW, Suaning GJ, Dokos S. Activation of retinal ganglion cells following epiretinal electrical stimulation with hexagonally arranged bipolar electrodes. J Neural Eng 2011; 8:035004. [DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/8/3/035004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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22
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Dendritic morphology and tracer-coupling pattern of physiologically identified transient uniformity detector ganglion cells in rabbit retina. Vis Neurosci 2010; 27:159-70. [PMID: 20854715 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523810000234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Transient uniformity detectors (UDs) are a unique type of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) whose maintained firing is transiently suppressed by all types of visual stimuli. In this study, we have characterized the dendritic morphology and tracer-coupling pattern of UDs that were labeled by loose-seal electroporation of Neurobiotin following functional identification in the isolated rabbit retina. The UDs have a bistratified dendritic tree, branching near the margins of the inner plexiform layer in stratum 1 (part of the OFF sublamina) and stratum 4/5 (part of the ON sublamina). Characteristically, many of the distal dendrites in the OFF arbor do not terminate there but dive recurrently back to the ON arbor. As a consequence, the ON dendritic arbor is usually twice as large as the OFF dendritic arbor in area. The UDs sometimes show homologous tracer coupling to neighboring RGCs with the same morphology, and from this material, we estimate that the UDs have a threefold dendritic field overlap and a maximum density of ~100 cells/mm2 on the peak visual streak, accounting for ~2% of RGCs in rabbit retina. The UDs also show strong heterologous tracer coupling to a novel type of amacrine cell that costratifies with the ON arbor of the UD. Consistent with their unistratified medium-field morphology, these St4/5 amacrine cells appear to be GABAergic: their somata are immunopositive for GABA but immunonegative for glycine and glycine transporter 1. We compare the dendritic morphology of the UDs to that of other types of bistratified RGCs described in rabbit retina and note that the stratification levels and distinctive recurrent dendrites closely resemble those of the "ON bistratified diving" RGCs. This raises the possibility that there are two types of RGCs with distinctive physiological properties that have almost identical bistratified dendritic morphologies.
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23
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Pan F, Paul DL, Bloomfield SA, Völgyi B. Connexin36 is required for gap junctional coupling of most ganglion cell subtypes in the mouse retina. J Comp Neurol 2010; 518:911-27. [PMID: 20058323 PMCID: PMC2860380 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence indicates that electrical synaptic transmission via gap junctions plays a crucial role in signal processing in the retina. In particular, amacrine and ganglion cells express numerous gap junctions, resulting in extensive electrical networks in the proximal retina. Both connexin36 (Cx36) and connexin45 (Cx45) subunits are widely distributed in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and therefore are likely contribute to gap junctions formed by a number of ganglion cell subtypes. In the present study, we used the gap junction-permeant tracer Neurobiotin to compare the coupling pattern of different ganglion cell subtypes in wild-type (WT) and Cx36 knockout (KO) mouse retinas. We found that homologous ganglion-to-ganglion cell coupling was lost for two subtypes after deletion of Cx36, whereas two other ganglion cell subtypes retained homologous coupling in the KO mouse. In contrast, deletion of Cx36 resulted in a partial or complete loss of ganglion-to-amacrine cell heterologous coupling in 9 of 10 ganglion cell populations studied. Overall, our results indicate that Cx36 is the predominant subunit of gap junctions in the proximal mouse retina, expressed by most ganglion cell subtypes, and thereby likely plays a major role in the concerted activity generated by electrical synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Pan
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
| | - David L. Paul
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Stewart A. Bloomfield
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
| | - Béla Völgyi
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
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24
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Isayama T, O'Brien BJ, Ugalde I, Muller JF, Frenz A, Aurora V, Tsiaras W, Berson DM. Morphology of retinal ganglion cells in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo). J Comp Neurol 2009; 517:459-80. [PMID: 19790267 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The ferret is the premiere mammalian model of retinal and visual system development, but the spectrum and properties of its retinal ganglion cells are less well understood than in another member of the Carnivora, the domestic cat. Here, we have extensively surveyed the dendritic architecture of ferret ganglion cells and report that the classification scheme previously developed for cat ganglion cells can be applied with few modifications to the ferret retina. We confirm the presence of alpha and beta cells in ferret retina, which are very similar to those in cat retina. Both cell types exhibited an increase in dendritic field size with distance from the area centralis (eccentricity) and with distance from the visual streak. Both alpha and beta cell populations existed as two subtypes whose dendrites stratified mainly in sublamina a or b of the inner plexiform layer. Six additional morphological types of ganglion cells were identified: four monostratified cell types (delta, epsilon, zeta, and eta) and two bistratified types (theta and iota). These types closely resembled their counterparts in the cat in terms of form, relative field size, and stratification. Our data indicate that, among carnivore species, the retinal ganglion cells resemble one another closely and that the ferret is a useful model for studies of the ontogenetic differentiation of ganglion cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoki Isayama
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
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25
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Quantitative analysis of dendritic morphology of the alpha and delta retinal ganglion cells in the rat: A cell classification study. J Theor Biol 2009; 259:142-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2008] [Revised: 02/15/2009] [Accepted: 03/09/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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26
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Fried SI, Lasker ACW, Desai NJ, Eddington DK, Rizzo JF. Axonal sodium-channel bands shape the response to electric stimulation in retinal ganglion cells. J Neurophysiol 2009; 101:1972-87. [PMID: 19193771 PMCID: PMC4588392 DOI: 10.1152/jn.91081.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2008] [Accepted: 01/27/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Electric stimulation of the retina reliably elicits light percepts in patients blinded by outer retinal diseases. However, individual percepts are highly variable and do not readily assemble into more complex visual images. As a result, the quality of visual information conveyed to patients has been quite limited. To develop more effective stimulation methods that will lead to improved psychophysical outcomes, we are studying how retinal neurons respond to electric stimulation. The situation in the retina is analogous to other neural prosthetic applications in which a better understanding of the underlying neural response may lead to improved clinical outcomes. Here, we determined which element in retinal ganglion cells has the lowest threshold for initiating action potentials. Previous studies suggest multiple possibilities, although all were within the soma/proximal axon region. To determine the actual site, we measured thresholds in a dense two-dimensional grid around the soma/proximal axon region of rabbit ganglion cells in the flat mount preparation. In directionally selective (DS) ganglion cells, the lowest thresholds were found along a small section of the axon, about 40 microm from the soma. Immunochemical staining revealed a dense band of voltage-gated sodium channels centered at the same location, suggesting that thresholds are lowest when the stimulating electrode is closest to the sodium-channel band. The size and location of the low-threshold region was consistent within DS cells, but varied for other ganglion cell types. Analogously, the length and location of sodium channel bands also varied by cell type. Consistent with the differences in band properties, we found that the absolute (lowest) thresholds were also different for different cell types. Taken together, our results suggest that the sodium-channel band is the site that is most responsive to electric stimulation and that differences in the bands underlie the threshold differences we observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley I Fried
- Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation, Boston, VA Healthcare System, Room 8B-74, Boston, MA 02130, USA.
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27
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Völgyi B, Chheda S, Bloomfield SA. Tracer coupling patterns of the ganglion cell subtypes in the mouse retina. J Comp Neurol 2009; 512:664-87. [PMID: 19051243 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 226] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
It is now clear that electrical coupling via gap junctions is prevalent across the retina, expressed by each of the five main neuronal types. With the introduction of mutants in which selective gap junction connexins are deleted, the mouse has recently become an important model for studying the function of coupling between retinal neurons. In this study we examined the tracer-coupling pattern of ganglion cells by injecting them with the gap junction-permanent tracer Neurobiotin to provide, for the first time, a comprehensive survey of ganglion cell coupling in the wildtype mouse retina. Murine ganglion cells were differentiated into 22 morphologically distinct subtypes based on soma-dendritic parameters. Most (16/22) ganglion cell subtypes were tracer-coupled to neighboring ganglion and/or amacrine cells. The amacrine cells coupled to ganglion cells displayed either polyaxonal or wide-field morphologies with extensive arbors. We found that different subtypes of ganglion cells were never coupled to one another, indicating that they subserved independent electrical networks. Finally, we found that the tracer-coupling patterns of the 22 ganglion cell populations were largely stereotypic across the 71 retinas studied. Our results indicate that electrical coupling is extensive in the inner retina of the mouse, suggesting 0
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Affiliation(s)
- Béla Völgyi
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA.
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28
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Ristanović D, Milosević NT, Jelinek HF, Stefanović IB. Mathematical modelling of neuronal dendritic branching patterns in two dimensions: application to retinal ganglion cells in the cat and rat. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2009; 100:97-108. [PMID: 18985379 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-008-0271-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2008] [Accepted: 10/03/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Sholl's analysis has been used for about 50 years to study neuron branching characteristics based on a linear, semi-log or log-log method. Using the linear two- dimensional Sholl's method, we call attention to a relationship between the number of intersections of neuronal dendrites with a circle and the numbers of branching points and terminal tips encompassed by the circle, with respect to the circle radius. For that purpose, we present a mathematical model, which incorporates a supposition that the number of dendritic intersections with a circle can be resolved into two components: the number of branching points and the number of terminal tips within the annulus of two adjoining circles. The numbers of intersections and last two sets of data are also presented as cumulative frequency plots and analysed using a logistic model (Boltzmann's function). Such approaches give rise to several new morphometric parameters, such as, the critical, maximal and mean values of the numbers of intersections, branching points and terminal tips, as well as the abscissas of the inflection points of the corresponding sigmoid plots, with respect to the radius. We discuss these parameters as an additional tool for further morphological classification schemes of vertebrate retinal ganglion cells. To test the models, we apply them first to three groups of morphologically different cat's retinal ganglion cells (the alpha, gamma and epsilon cells). After that, in order to quantitatively support the classification of the rat's alpha cells into the inner and outer cells, we apply our models to two subgroups of these cells grouped according to their stratification levels in the inner plexiform layer. We show that differences between most of our parameters calculated for these subgroups are statistically significant. We believe that these models have the potential to aid in the classification of biological images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dusan Ristanović
- Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
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29
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Jakobs TC, Koizumi A, Masland RH. The spatial distribution of glutamatergic inputs to dendrites of retinal ganglion cells. J Comp Neurol 2008; 510:221-36. [PMID: 18623177 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The spatial pattern of excitatory glutamatergic input was visualized in a large series of ganglion cells of the rabbit retina, by using particle-mediated gene transfer of an expression plasmid for postsynaptic density 95-green fluorescent protein (PSD95-GFP). PSD95-GFP was confirmed as a marker of excitatory input by co-localization with synaptic ribbons (RIBEYE and kinesin II) and glutamate receptor subunits. Despite wide variation in the size, morphology, and functional complexity of the cells, the distribution of excitatory synaptic inputs followed a single set of rules: 1) the linear density of synaptic inputs (PSD95 sites/linear mum) varied surprisingly little and showed little specialization within the arbor; 2) the total density of excitatory inputs across individual arbors peaked in a ring-shaped region surrounding the soma, which is in accord with high-resolution maps of receptive field sensitivity in the rabbit; and 3) the areal density scaled inversely with the total area of the dendritic arbor, so that narrow dendritic arbors receive more synapses per unit area than large ones. To achieve sensitivity comparable to that of large cells, those that report upon a small region of visual space may need to receive a denser synaptic input from within that space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana C Jakobs
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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30
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Origin of correlated activity between parasol retinal ganglion cells. Nat Neurosci 2008; 11:1343-51. [PMID: 18820692 PMCID: PMC2575139 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2008] [Accepted: 08/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Cells throughout the central nervous system exhibit synchronous activity patterns - i.e. a cell’s probability of generating an action potential depends both on its firing rate and on the occurrence of action potentials in surrounding cells. The mechanisms producing synchronous or correlated activity are poorly understood despite its prevalence and potential impact on neural coding. We find that neighboring parasol retinal ganglion cells receive strongly correlated synaptic input in the absence of modulated light stimuli. This correlated variability appeared to arise through the same circuits that provide uncorrelated synaptic input. In addition, ON but not OFF parasol cells were coupled electrically. Correlated variability in synaptic input, however, dominated correlations in the parasol spike outputs and shared variability in the timing of action potentials generated by neighboring cells. These results provide a mechanistic picture of how correlated activity is produced in a population of neurons of key importance to visual perception.
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31
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Hsueh HA, Molnar A, Werblin FS. Amacrine-to-amacrine cell inhibition in the rabbit retina. J Neurophysiol 2008; 100:2077-88. [PMID: 18667544 DOI: 10.1152/jn.90417.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the interactions between excitation and inhibition in morphologically identified amacrine cells in the light-adapted rabbit retinal slice under patch clamp. The majority of on amacrine cells received glycinergic off inhibition. About half of the off amacrine cells received glycinergic on inhibition. Neither class received any GABAergic inhibition. A minority of on, off, and on-off amacrine cells received both glycinergic on and GABAergic off inhibition. These interactions were found in cells with diverse morphologies having both wide and narrow processes that stratify in single or multiple layers of the inner plexiform layer (IPL). Most on-off amacrine cells received no inhibition and have monostratified processes confined to the middle of the IPL. The most common interaction between amacrine cells that we measured was "crossover inhibition," where off inhibits on and on inhibits off. Although the morphology of amacrine cells is diverse, the interactions between excitation and inhibition appear to be relatively limited and specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hain-Ann Hsueh
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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32
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O'Brien BJ, Caldwell JH, Ehring GR, Bumsted O'Brien KM, Luo S, Levinson SR. Tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated sodium channels Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9 are expressed in the retina. J Comp Neurol 2008; 508:940-51. [PMID: 18399542 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are one of the fundamental building blocks of electrically excitable cells in the nervous system. These channels are responsible for the generation of action potentials that are required for the communication of neuronal signals over long distances within a cell. VGSCs are encoded by a family of nine genes whose products have widely varying biophysical properties. In this study, we have detected the expression of two atypical VGSCs (Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9) in the retina. Compared with more common VGSCs, Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9 have unusual biophysical and pharmacological properties, including persistent sodium currents and resistance to the canonical sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX). Our molecular biological and immunohistochemical data derived from mouse (Mus musculus) retina demonstrate expression of Na(v)1.8 by retinal amacrine and ganglion cells, whereas Na(v)1.9 is expressed by photoreceptors and Müller glia. The fact that these channels exist in the central nervous system (CNS) and exhibit robust TTX resistance requires a re-evaluation of prior physiological, pharmacological, and developmental data in the visual system, in which the diversity of VGSCs has been previously underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan J O'Brien
- Department of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Knabe W, Washausen S, Happel N, Kuhn HJ. Development of starburst cholinergic amacrine cells in the retina of Tupaia belangeri. J Comp Neurol 2007; 502:584-97. [PMID: 17394160 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
"Starburst" cholinergic amacrines specify the response of direction-selective ganglion cells to image motion. Here, development of cholinergic amacrines was studied in the tree shrew Tupaia belangeri (Scandentia) by immunohistochemistry with antibodies against choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and neurofilament proteins. Starburst amacrines expressed ChAT much earlier than previously thought. From embryonic day 34 (E34) onward, orthotopic and displaced subpopulations segregated from a single cluster of immunoreactive precursor cells. Orthotopic starburst amacrines rapidly took up positions in the inner nuclear layer. Displaced starburst amacrines were first arranged in a monocellular row in the inner plexiform layer, and, with a delay of 1 week, they descended to the ganglion cell layer. Conversely, dendritic stratification of displaced amacrines slightly preceded that of orthotopic ones. Starburst amacrines expressed the medium-molecular-weight neurofilament protein (NF-M) from E34 to postnatal day 11 (P11) and coexpressed alpha-internexin from E36.5 to P11. Consequently, neurofilaments composed of alpha-internexin and NF-M may stabilize developing dendrites of starburst amacrines. During the first 2 postnatal weeks, subpopulations of anti-NF-M-labeled ganglion cells costratified with the preexisting dendritic strata of starburst amacrines in the ON sublamina, OFF sublamina, or both. Hence, anti-NF-M-labeled ganglion cells may include direction-selective ones. Thereafter, NF-M and alpha-internexin proteins disappeared from starburst amacrines, and NF-M immunoreactivity was lost in the dendrites of ganglion cells. Our findings suggest that NF-M and alpha-internexin are important for starburst amacrines and ganglion cells to recognize each other and, thus, contribute to the formation of early developing retinal circuits in the inner plexiform layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Knabe
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Georg August University, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany.
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Roska B, Molnar A, Werblin FS. Parallel processing in retinal ganglion cells: how integration of space-time patterns of excitation and inhibition form the spiking output. J Neurophysiol 2006; 95:3810-22. [PMID: 16510780 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00113.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Our goal was to understand how patterns of excitation and inhibition, interacting across arrays of ganglion cells in space and time, generate the spiking output pattern for each ganglion cell type. We presented the retina with a 1-s flashed square, 600 microm on a side, and measured patterns of excitation and inhibition over an 1,800-microm-wide region encompassing many ganglion cells. Excitatory patterns of on ganglion cells resembled rectified versions of the voltage patterns of on bipolar cells. Inhibitory patterns in on ganglion cells resembled the rectified versions of voltage patterns of off bipolar cells. off ganglion cells received off excitation and on inhibition. Many ganglion cells also received an additional wide field transient inhibition derived from the activity of both on and off bipolar cells. Ganglion cell spiking was suppressed in those space-time regions dominated by inhibition. We classified each ganglion cell type by correlating its space-time patterns with its dendritic morphology. These studies suggest the bipolar and amacrine cell circuitry underlying the interplay between on and off signals that generate spiking patterns in ganglion cells. They reveal a surprising synergistic interaction between excitation and inhibition in most ganglion cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Botond Roska
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, 94720, USA
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Zhang J, Li W, Hoshi H, Mills SL, Massey SC. Stratification of α ganglion cells and ON/OFF directionally selective ganglion cells in the rabbit retina. Vis Neurosci 2006; 22:535-49. [PMID: 16212709 PMCID: PMC1820870 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523805224148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2005] [Accepted: 07/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The correlation between cholinergic sensitivity and the level of stratification for ganglion cells was examined in the rabbit retina. As examples, we have used ON or OFF alpha ganglion cells and ON/OFF directionally selective (DS) ganglion cells. Nicotine, a cholinergic agonist, depolarized ON/OFF DS ganglion cells and greatly enhanced their firing rates but it had modest excitatory effects on ON or OFF alpha ganglion cells. As previously reported, we conclude that DS ganglion cells are the most sensitive to cholinergic drugs. Confocal imaging showed that ON/OFF DS ganglion cells ramify precisely at the level of the cholinergic amacrine cell dendrites, and co-fasciculate with the cholinergic matrix of starburst amacrine cells. However, neither ON or OFF alpha ganglion cells have more than a chance association with the cholinergic matrix. Z -axis reconstruction showed that OFF alpha ganglion cells stratify just below the cholinergic band in sublamina a while ON alpha ganglion cells stratify just below cholinergic b . The latter is at the same level as the terminals of calbindin bipolar cells. Thus, the calbindin bipolar cell appears to be a prime candidate to provide the bipolar cell input to ON alpha ganglion cells in the rabbit retina. We conclude that the precise level of stratification is correlated with the strength of cholinergic input. Alpha ganglion cells receive a weak cholinergic input and they are narrowly stratified just below the cholinergic bands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Sagdullaev BT, McCall MA. Stimulus size and intensity alter fundamental receptive-field properties of mouse retinal ganglion cellsin vivo. Vis Neurosci 2005; 22:649-59. [PMID: 16332276 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523805225142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2005] [Accepted: 04/28/2005] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The receptive field (RF) of most retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is comprised of an excitatory center and an antagonistic surround. Interactions between these RF elements shape most of the visual responses of RGCs. To begin to investigate center-surround interactions of mouse RGCs quantitatively, we characterized their responses in anin vivopreparation to a variety of spot and full-field stimuli. When RGCs were stimulated with a spot that matched the cell's RF center diameter (optimal spot), all RGCs could be categorized as either ON- or OFF-center. In all RGCs, full-field stimulation significantly reduced both the peak and the mean firing rates evoked with an optimal spot stimulus. Full-field stimulation revealed differences in other response properties between ON- and OFF-center RGCs. With a full-field stimulus, the duration of the OFF-center RGCs response was reduced making them more transient, while the duration of the ON-center RGCs increased making them more sustained. Of most interest, full-field stimulation altered the RF center response sign in approximately half of the OFF-center RGCs, which became either OFF/ON or ON only. In contrast, all ON-center and the other OFF-center cells conserved their RF response sign in the presence of the full-field stimulus. We propose that sign-altering OFF-center RGCs possess an additional RF surround mechanism that underlies this alteration in their response. Of general interest these results suggest that the sole use of full-field stimulation to categorize visual response properties of RGCs does not adequately reflect their RF organization and, therefore, is not an optimal strategy for their classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Botir T Sagdullaev
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
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VÖLGYI BÉLA, ABRAMS JOSEPH, PAUL DAVIDL, BLOOMFIELD STEWARTA. Morphology and tracer coupling pattern of alpha ganglion cells in the mouse retina. J Comp Neurol 2005; 492:66-77. [PMID: 16175559 PMCID: PMC2834591 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Alpha cells are a type of ganglion cell whose morphology appears to be conserved across a number of mammalian retinas. In particular, alpha cells display the largest somata and dendritic arbors at a given eccentricity and tile the retina as independent on- (ON) and off-center (OFF) subtypes. Mammalian alpha cells also express a variable tracer coupling pattern, which often includes homologous (same cell type) coupling to a few neighboring alpha cells and extensive heterologous (different cell type) coupling to two to three amacrine cell types. Here, we use the gap junction-permeant tracer Neurobiotin to determine the architecture and coupling pattern of alpha cells in the mouse retina. We find that alpha cells show the same somatic and dendritic architecture described previously in the mammal. However, alpha cells show varied tracer coupling patterns related to their ON and OFF physiologies. ON alpha cells show no evidence of homologous tracer coupling but are coupled heterologously to at least two types of amacrine cell whose somata lie within the ganglion cell layer. In contrast, OFF alpha cells are coupled to one another in circumscribed arrays as well as to two to three types of amacrine cell with somata occupying the inner nuclear layer. We find that homologous coupling between OFF alpha cells is unaltered in the connexin36 (Cx36) knockout (KO) mouse retina, indicating that it is not dependent on Cx36. However, a subset of the heterologous coupling of ON alpha cells and all the heterologous coupling of OFF alpha cells are eliminated in the KO retina, suggesting that Cx36 comprises most of the junctions made with amacrine cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- BÉLA VÖLGYI
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
| | - JOSEPH ABRAMS
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
| | - DAVID L. PAUL
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - STEWART A. BLOOMFIELD
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016
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Strang CE, Andison ME, Amthor FR, Keyser KT. Rabbit retinal ganglion cells express functional alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2005; 289:C644-55. [PMID: 15872006 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00633.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that cholinergic agents affect ganglion cell (GC) firing rates and light responses in the retinas of many species, but the specific receptor subtypes involved in mediating these effects have been only partially characterized. We sought to determine whether functional alpha(7) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) contribute to the responses of specific retinal GC classes in rabbit retina. We used electrophysiology, pharmacology, immunohistochemistry, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine the pharmacological properties and expression of nAChR subtypes by specific rabbit retinal GC classes. Choline was used as an alpha(7) nAChR agonist. Methyllycaconitine (MLA) was used as a competitive alpha(7) nAChR antagonist. The application of choline before synaptic blockade resulted in changes in retinal GC activity, including increases or decreases in maintained firing and/or enhancement or suppression of light responses. Many physiologically identified GC types, including sustained off, sustained on, transient off, and transient on cells, demonstrated responses to choline application while under synaptic blockade. The choline-induced responses could be blocked with MLA, confirming alpha(7) nAChR activation. Individual choline-responsive GCs displayed mRNA transcripts consistent with the expression of functional alpha(7) nAChRs. Other GCs demonstrated physiological responses and mRNA expression consistent with the expression of both alpha(7) and non-alpha(7) nAChRs. Thus mRNA is present for multiple nAChR subunits in whole retina extracts, and functional alpha(7) nAChRs are capable of modulating the responses of GCs in adult rabbit retina. We also demonstrate through physiological responses that subsets of GCs express more than one nAChR subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christianne E Strang
- Department of Vision Science, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294-4390, USA
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Abstract
On average, in chicks, the total number of retinal ganglion cells is 4.9 x 10(6) and the cell density is 10400 cells/mm2. Two high-density areas, namely the central area (CA) and the dorsal area (DA), are located in the central and dorsal retinas, respectively, in post-hatching day 8 (P8) chicks (19000 cells/mm2 in the CA; 12800 cells/mm2 in the DA). Thirty percent of total cells in the ganglion cell layer are resistant to axotomy of the optic nerve. The distribution of the axotomy resistant cells shows two high-density areas in the central and dorsal retinas, corresponding to the CA (5800 cells/mm2) and DA (3200 cells/mm2). The number of presumptive ganglion cells in P8 chicks is estimated to be 4 x 10(6) (8600 cells/mm2 on average) and the density is 13500 and 10200 cells/mm2 in the CA and DA, respectively, and 4300 cell/mm2 in the temporal periphery (TP). The somal area of presumptive ganglion cells is small in the CA and DA (mean (+/- SD) 35.7 +/- 9.1 and 40.0 +/- 11.3 microm2, respectively) and their size increases towards the periphery (63.4 +/- 29.7 microm2 in the TP), accompanied by a decrease in cell density. Chick ganglion cells are classified according to dendritic field, somal size and branching density of the dendrites as follows: group Ic, Is, IIc, IIs, Ills, IVc. The density of branching points of dendrites is approximately 10-fold higher in the complex type (c) than in the simple type (s) in each group. The chick inner plexiform layer is divided into eight sublayers according to the dendritic strata of retinal ganglion cells and 26 stratification patterns are discriminated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumpei Naito
- Department of Animal Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, Teikyo University of Science and Technology, Uenohara, Japan.
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Famiglietti EV. Class I and class II ganglion cells of rabbit retina: a structural basis for X and Y (brisk) cells. J Comp Neurol 2004; 478:323-46. [PMID: 15384072 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Morphological studies of rabbit retina have identified ganglion cells resembling "alpha" cells but none resembling cat "beta" cells. Four distinct types of class I cell, similar to alpha cells, were identified, each narrowly stratified and differing from the other three principally in the level of dendritic branching. These four levels of dendritic branching flank the two starburst/cholinergic amacrine cell substrata that mark the middle of sublaminae a and b. Compared with the other three, class Ia2 cells are the largest in cell body and dendritic field size, are sometimes homotypically dye coupled, and have slightly broader dendritic stratification. Class Ia2 and the slightly smaller class Ib2 cells form a paramorphic pair. Compared with class I cells, class II cells have smaller dendritic fields; a greater tendency to "tufted" dendritic branching, as shown in the companion paper; branching at one of three levels of the IPL; and similarly narrow stratification. Class IIa and class Ia1 cells branch at the same level, as do class IIb1 and class Ib1 cells. Class IIb2 cells branch slightly nearer the ganglion cell layer than class Ib2 cells and costratify with "blue-ON" cone bipolar cells. The class IIa and IIb2 cells form a paramorphic pair, whereas class IIb1 cells appear to be unpaired. The four types of class I cell probably correspond to ON- and OFF-center brisk-transient, fast-movement and slow-movement cells, whereas the three types of class II cell probably correspond to ON- and OFF-center brisk-sustained and color-coded ON-center X cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward V Famiglietti
- Department of Anatomy and Lions Sight Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada.
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Strang CE, Amthor FR, Keyser KT. Rabbit retinal ganglion cell responses to nicotine can be mediated by beta2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Vis Neurosci 2004; 20:651-62. [PMID: 15088718 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523803206076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) affects the response properties of many retinal ganglion cells (GCs) through the activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). To date there have been few studies directly correlating the expression of specific nAChR subtypes with the physiological and morphological characteristics of specific retinal GCs. This study was designed to correlate responses to nicotine application with immunohistochemical evidence of nAChR expression in physiologically and morphologically identified ganglion cells. Extracellular recordings were used to physiologically identify rabbit retinal GCs, based on responses to light stimulation. Cells were then tested for responses to nicotine application and/or for expression of nAChRs, as judged by immunoreactivity to mAb210, an nAChR antibody. The morphologies of many physiologically identified cells were also determined by dye injection. More than three-fourths of ganglion cells tested responded to nicotine application under cobalt-induced synaptic blockade. The nicotine sensitivity was consistent with nAChR immunoreactivity and was also correlated with specific morphological subgroups of GCs. Overall, approximately two-thirds of all physiologically identified GCs that were processed for immunohistochemistry displayed immunoreactivity. In total, 18 of 22 physiologically identified cells demonstrated both sensitivity to nicotine application under synaptic blockade and mAb210 immunoreactivity (mAb210-IR). Thus, mAb210-IR is likely to represent functional nAChRs that can modulate retinal information processing and visual functioning via direct excitation of a number of GC classes.
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Rotolo TC, Dacheux RF. Two neuropharmacological types of rabbit ON-alpha ganglion cells express GABAC receptors. Vis Neurosci 2004; 20:373-84. [PMID: 14658766 DOI: 10.1017/s095252380320403x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The major inhibitory neurotransmitters GABA and glycine provide the bulk of input to large-field ganglion cells in the retina. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were used to characterize the glycine- and GABA-activated currents for morphologically identified ON-alpha ganglion cells in the rabbit retina. Cells identified as ON-alpha cells by light evoked currents were intracellularly stained and examined by light microscopy which revealed dendritic stratification in the vitreal half of the inner plexiform layer and confirmed their physiological identity. All Ca(2+)-mediated synaptic influences were abolished with Co(2+), revealing two types of ON-alpha cell characterized by their different inhibitory current profiles. One group exhibited larger glycine- than GABA-activated currents, while the other group had larger GABA- than glycine-activated currents. Both cell types demonstrated strychnine-sensitive glycine-activated currents and bicuculline-sensitive GABAA-activated currents. Surprisingly, both cell types expressed functional GABAC receptors demonstrated by their sensitivity to TPMPA. In addition, the cells with larger glycine-activated currents also possessed GABAB receptors, whereas those with larger GABA-activated currents did not. Immunocytochemical experiments confirmed the presence of glycine, GABAA, and GABAC receptor subunits on all physiologically identified ON-alpha ganglion cells in this study. In addition, the GABAB receptor immunolabeled puncta were present on the cells with larger glycine-activated currents, but not on the cells with the larger GABA-activated currents. In conclusion, the presence of different functional GABA and glycine receptors determined physiologically correlated well with the specific GABA and glycine receptor immunolabeling for two neuropharmacological types of rabbit ON-alpha ganglion cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Rotolo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham 35294, USA
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Abstract
We examined whether coupling between neighboringalpha-type ganglion cells (alpha-GCs) in the rabbit retina underlies their synchronous spike activity. Simultaneous recordings were made from arrays of alpha-GCs to determine the synchrony of both spontaneous and light-evoked spike activity. One cell within each array was then injected with the biotinylated tracer Neurobiotin to determine which of the cells were coupled via gap junctions. Cross-correlation analyses indicated that neighboring off-center alpha-GCs maintain short-latency (approximately 2.5 msec) synchronous spiking, whereas the spontaneous spike activities of on-centeralpha-GC neighbors are not correlated. Without exception, those off-centeralpha-GCs showing synchronous spiking were found to be tracer coupled to both amacrine cells and neighboring off-centeralpha-GCs. In contrast, on-center alpha-GCs were never tracer coupled. Furthermore, whereas spikes initiated in an off-center alpha-GC with extrinsic current injection resulted in short-latency synchronized spiking in neighboring off-center alpha-GCs, this was never seen between on-center alpha-GCs. These results indicate that electrical coupling via gap junctions underlies the short-latency concerted spike activity of neighboring alpha-GCs.
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Germain F, Fernández E, de la Villa P. Morphometrical analysis of dendritic arborization in axotomized retinal ganglion cells. Eur J Neurosci 2003; 18:1103-9. [PMID: 12956710 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02842.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
It has been reported that section of the optic nerve in mammals causes death in >90% of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The cells which survive the section experience an irreparable loss of many of their dendritic segments and a rapid retraction of the dendritic tree. However, some growth cones and abnormal processes have been also reported. Our aim was to make a quantitative study of the morphological changes found in rabbit RGCs after optic nerve section. The morphometrical analysis of the RGCs which survived the axotomy showed an increase in the diameter of the soma and a significant increase in the area of the dendritic field; also, the length of the dendritic segments was significantly longer in axotomized RGCs than in control cells. Terminal dendritic segments (T) and preterminal segments (PT) were both measured in control and axotomized cells; the length ratio of T : PT segments was significantly greater in the axotomized cells than in the controls. We conclude that RGCs which survived the axotomy experienced a significant growth of their terminal dendritic branches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Germain
- Departamento de Fisiología, Universidad de Alcala, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Madrid, Spain
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Abstract
Axotomized retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in adult cats offer a good experimental model to understand mechanisms of RGC deteriorations in ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma and optic neuritis. Alpha ganglion cells in the cat retina have higher ability to survive axotomy and regenerate their axons than beta and non-alpha or beta (NAB) ganglion cells. By contrast, beta cells suffer from rapid cell death by apoptosis between 3 and 7 days after axotomy. We introduced several methods to rescue the axotomized cat RGCs from apoptosis and regenerate their axons; transplantation of the peripheral nerve (PN), intraocular injections of neurotrophic factors, or an antiapoptotic drug. Apoptosis of beta cells can be prevented with intravitreal injections of BDNF+CNTF+forskolin or a caspase inhibitor. The injection of BDNF+CNTF+forskolin also increases the numbers of regenerated beta and NAB cells, but only slightly enhances axonal regeneration of alpha cells. Electrical stimulation to the cut end of optic nerve is effective for the survival of axotomized RGCs in cats as well as in rats. To recover function of impaired vision in cats, further studies should be directed to achieve the following goals: (1). substantial number of regenerating RGCs, (2). reconstruction of the retino-geniculo-cortical pathway, and (3). reconstruction of retinotopy in the target visual centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masami Watanabe
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Developmental Research, Kasugai, Aichi 480-0392, Japan.
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Abstract
Five hundred twenty ganglion cells in an isolated whole-mount preparation of the mouse retina were labeled using the "DiOlistic" method (Gan et al. [2000] Neuron 27:219-225) and were classified according to their morphological properties. Tungsten particles coated with a lipophilic dye (DiI) were propelled into the whole-mount retina using a gene gun. When a dye-coated particle contacted the cell membrane, the entire cell was labeled. The ganglion cells were classified into four groups based on their soma size, dendritic field size, and pattern and level of stratification. Broadly monostratified cells were classified into three groups: RG(A) cells (large soma, large dendritic field), RG(B) cells (small to medium-sized soma, small to medium-sized dendritic field), and RG(C) cells (small to medium-sized size soma, medium-sized to large dendritic field). Bistratified cells were classified as RG(D). This study represents the most complete morphological classification of mouse retinal ganglion cells available to date and provides a foundation for further understanding of the correlation of physiology and morphology and ganglion cell function with genetically manipulated animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhi Sun
- Institute of Neuroscience and Shanghai Research Center for Life Sciences, Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
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Abstract
We report a survey of the population of ganglion cells in the rabbit retina. A random sample of 301 neurons in the ganglion cell layer was targeted for photofilling, a method in which the arbors of the chosen neurons are revealed by diffusion of a photochemically induced fluorescent product from their somas. An additional 129 cells were labeled by microinjection of Lucifer yellow. One hundred and thirty-eight cells were visualized by expression of the gene encoding a green fluorescent protein, introduced by particle-mediated gene transfer. One hundred and sixty-six cells were labeled by particle-mediated introduction of DiI. In the total population of 734 neurons, we could identify 11 types of retinal ganglion cell. An analysis based on retinal coverage shows that this number of ganglion cell types would not exceed the available total number of ganglion cells. Although some uncertainties remain, this sample appears to account for the majority of the ganglion cells present in the rabbit retina. Some known physiological types could easily be mapped onto structural types, but half of them could not; a large set of poorly known codings of the visual input is transmitted to the brain.
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Abstract
Classifying all of the ganglion cells in the mammalian retina has long been a goal of anatomists, physiologists, and cell biologists. The rabbit retinal ganglion cell layer was phenotyped using intrinsic small molecule signals (aspartate, glutamate, glycine, glutamine, GABA, and taurine) and glutamate receptor-gated 1-amino-4-guanidobutane excitation signals as the clustering dimensions for formal classification. Intrinsic signals alone yielded 7 ganglion cell superclasses and 1 amacrine cell superclass; the addition of excitation signals ultimately resolved 14 natural ganglion cell classes and 3 amacrine cell classes. Ganglion cells comprise two-thirds to three-quarters of the cells in the ganglion cell layer and exhibited distinct metabolic, coupling, and excitation phenotypes, as well as characteristic sizes, population fractions, and patterns. Metabolic signatures (mixtures of glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, and GABA) chemically discriminated ganglion from amacrine cells. Coupling signatures reflected heterologous coupling states across ganglion cells: (1) uncoupled, (2) coupled to GABAergic amacrine cells, and (3) coupled to glycinergic amacrine cells. Excitation signatures reflected differential channel permeation rates across classes after AMPA activation. Extraction of unique size and patterning features from the data sets further validated the robustness of the classification. Because the classifications were explicitly blinded to structure, this is strong evidence that molecular phenotype classes are natural classes. Correspondences of molecular phenotype classes to functional classes were inferred from size, coupling, encounter, and physiological attributes. Ganglion cell classes display markedly different ionotropic drives, which may partly explain the physiological brisk-sluggish spectrum of ganglion cell spiking patterns.
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Potentiation of L-type calcium channels reveals nonsynaptic mechanisms that correlate spontaneous activity in the developing mammalian retina. J Neurosci 2001. [PMID: 11606640 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.21-21-08514.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although correlated neural activity is a hallmark of many regions of the developing nervous system, the neural events underlying its propagation remain largely unknown. In the developing vertebrate retina, waves of spontaneous, correlated neural activity sweep across the ganglion cell layer. Here, we demonstrate that L-type Ca(2+) channel agonists induce large, frequent, rapidly propagating waves of neural activity in the developing retina. In contrast to retinal waves that have been described previously, these L-type Ca(2+) channel agonist-potentiated waves propagate independent of fast synaptic transmission. Bath application of nicotinic acetylcholine, AMPA, NMDA, glycine, and GABA(A) receptor antagonists does not alter the velocity, frequency, or size of the potentiated waves. Additionally, these antagonists do not alter the frequency or magnitude of spontaneous depolarizations that are recorded in individual retinal ganglion cells. Like normal retinal waves, however, the area over which the potentiated waves propagate is reduced dramatically by 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid, a blocker of gap junctions. Additionally, like normal retinal waves, L-type Ca(2+) channel agonist-potentiated waves are abolished by adenosine deaminase, which degrades extracellular adenosine, and by aminophylline, a general adenosine receptor antagonist, indicating that they are dependent on adenosine-mediated signaling. Our study indicates that although the precise spatiotemporal properties of retinal waves are shaped by local synaptic inputs, activity may be propagated through the developing mammalian retina by nonsynaptic pathways.
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Abstract
The receptive field (RF) of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) consists of an excitatory central region, the RF center, and an inhibitory peripheral region, the RF surround. It is still unknown in detail which inhibitory interneurons (horizontal or amacrine cells) and which inhibitory circuits (presynaptic or postsynaptic) generate the RF surround. To study surround inhibition, light-evoked whole-cell currents were recorded from RGCs of the isolated, intact rabbit retina. The RFs were stimulated with light or dark spots of increasing diameters and with annular light stimuli. Direct inhibitory currents could be isolated by voltage clamping ganglion cells close to the Na(+)/K(+) reversal potential. They mostly represent an input from GABAergic amacrine cells that contribute to the inhibitory surround of ganglion cells. This direct inhibitory input and its physiological function were also investigated by recording light-evoked action potentials of RGCs in the current-clamp mode and by changing the intracellular Cl(-) concentration. The excitatory input of the ganglion cells could be isolated by voltage clamping ganglion cells at the Cl(-) reversal potential. Large light spots and annular light stimuli caused a strong attenuation of the excitatory input. Both GABA(A) receptors and GABA(C) receptors contributed to this inhibition, and picrotoxinin was able to completely block it. Together, these results show that the RF surround of retinal ganglion cells is mediated by a combination of direct inhibitory synapses and presynaptic surround inhibition.
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