1
|
Roy S, Yao X, Rathinavelu J, Field GD. GABAergic Inhibition Controls Receptive Field Size, Sensitivity, and Contrast Preference of Direction Selective Retinal Ganglion Cells Near the Threshold of Vision. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1979232023. [PMID: 38182419 PMCID: PMC10941243 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1979-23.2023] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Information about motion is encoded by direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (DSGCs). These cells reliably transmit this information across a broad range of light levels, spanning moonlight to sunlight. Previous work indicates that adaptation to low light levels causes heterogeneous changes to the direction tuning of ON-OFF (oo)DSGCs and suggests that superior-preferring ON-OFF DSGCs (s-DSGCs) are biased toward detecting stimuli rather than precisely signaling direction. Using a large-scale multielectrode array, we measured the absolute sensitivity of ooDSGCs and found that s-DSGCs are 10-fold more sensitive to dim flashes of light than other ooDSGCs. We measured their receptive field (RF) sizes and found that s-DSGCs also have larger receptive fields than other ooDSGCs; however, the size difference does not fully explain the sensitivity difference. Using a conditional knock-out of gap junctions and pharmacological manipulations, we demonstrate that GABA-mediated inhibition contributes to the difference in absolute sensitivity and receptive field size at low light levels, while the connexin36-mediated gap junction coupling plays a minor role. We further show that under scotopic conditions, ooDSGCs exhibit only an ON response, but pharmacologically removing GABA-mediated inhibition unmasks an OFF response. These results reveal that GABAergic inhibition controls and differentially modulates the responses of ooDSGCs under scotopic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suva Roy
- Department of Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Xiaoyang Yao
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Jay Rathinavelu
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Greg D Field
- Department of Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chander PR, Hanson L, Chundekkad P, Awatramani GB. Neural Circuits Underlying Multifeature Extraction in the Retina. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0910232023. [PMID: 37957014 PMCID: PMC10919202 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0910-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Classic ON-OFF direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) that encode the four cardinal directions were recently shown to also be orientation-selective. To clarify the mechanisms underlying orientation selectivity, we employed a variety of electrophysiological, optogenetic, and gene knock-out strategies to test the relative contributions of glutamate, GABA, and acetylcholine (ACh) input that are known to drive DSGCs, in male and female mouse retinas. Extracellular spike recordings revealed that DSGCs respond preferentially to either vertical or horizontal bars, those that are perpendicular to their preferred-null motion axes. By contrast, the glutamate input to all four DSGC types measured using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques was found to be tuned along the vertical axis. Tuned glutamatergic excitation was heavily reliant on type 5A bipolar cells, which appear to be electrically coupled via connexin 36 containing gap junctions to the vertically oriented processes of wide-field amacrine cells. Vertically tuned inputs are transformed by the GABAergic/cholinergic "starburst" amacrine cells (SACs), which are critical components of the direction-selective circuit, into distinct patterns of inhibition and excitation. Feed-forward SAC inhibition appears to "veto" preferred orientation glutamate excitation in dorsal/ventral (but not nasal/temporal) coding DSGCs "flipping" their orientation tuning by 90° and accounts for the apparent mismatch between glutamate input tuning and the DSGC's spiking response. Together, these results reveal how two distinct synaptic motifs interact to generate complex feature selectivity, shedding light on the intricate circuitry that underlies visual processing in the retina.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Hanson
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 4A4, Canada
| | - Pavitra Chundekkad
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 4A4, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Acarón Ledesma H, Ding J, Oosterboer S, Huang X, Chen Q, Wang S, Lin MZ, Wei W. Dendritic mGluR2 and perisomatic Kv3 signaling regulate dendritic computation of mouse starburst amacrine cells. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1819. [PMID: 38418467 PMCID: PMC10901804 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46234-7] [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: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Dendritic mechanisms driving input-output transformation in starburst amacrine cells (SACs) are not fully understood. Here, we combine two-photon subcellular voltage and calcium imaging and electrophysiological recording to determine the computational architecture of mouse SAC dendrites. We found that the perisomatic region integrates motion signals over the entire dendritic field, providing a low-pass-filtered global depolarization to dendrites. Dendrites integrate local synaptic inputs with this global signal in a direction-selective manner. Coincidental local synaptic inputs and the global motion signal in the outward motion direction generate local suprathreshold calcium transients. Moreover, metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) signaling in SACs modulates the initiation of calcium transients in dendrites but not at the soma. In contrast, voltage-gated potassium channel 3 (Kv3) dampens fast voltage transients at the soma. Together, complementary mGluR2 and Kv3 signaling in different subcellular regions leads to dendritic compartmentalization and direction selectivity, highlighting the importance of these mechanisms in dendritic computation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Héctor Acarón Ledesma
- Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jennifer Ding
- The Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Swen Oosterboer
- The Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Xiaolin Huang
- The Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Committee on Computational Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Sui Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Michael Z Lin
- Department of Neurobiology, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology and the Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Farkas I, Skrapits K, Sárvári M, Göcz B, Takács S, Rumpler É, Hrabovszky E. Functional GnRH receptor signaling regulates striatal cholinergic neurons in neonatal but not in adult mice. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1353151. [PMID: 38348415 PMCID: PMC10859511 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1353151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Reproduction in mammals is controlled by hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Recent studies from our laboratory established that the basal ganglia of the human brain contain additional large populations of GnRH synthesizing neurons which are absent in adult mice. Such extrahypothalamic GnRH neurons mostly occur in the putamen where they correspond to subsets of the striatal cholinergic interneurons (ChINs) and express GnRHR autoreceptors. In an effort to establish a mouse model for functional studies of striatal GnRH/GnRHR signaling, we carried out electrophysiological experiments on acute brain slices from male transgenic mice. Using PN4-7 neonatal mice, half of striatal ChINs responded with transient hyperpolarization and decreased firing rate to 1.2 µM GnRH, whereas medium spiny projection neurons remained unaffected. GnRH acted on its specific receptor because no response was observed in the presence of the GnRHR antagonist Antide. Addition of the membrane-impermeable G protein-coupled receptor inhibitor GDP-β-S to the internal electrode solution eliminated the effect of GnRH. Further, GnRH was able to inhibit ChINs in presence of tetrodotoxin which blocked action potential mediated events. Collectively, these data indicated that the receptor underlying the effects of GnRH in neonatal mice is localized within ChINs. GnRH responsiveness of ChINs was transient and entirely disappeared in adult mice. These results raise the possibility to use neonatal transgenic mice as a functional model to investigate the role of GnRH/GnRHR signaling discovered earlier in adult human ChINs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Imre Farkas
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine (Hungarian Research Network), Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Erik Hrabovszky
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine (Hungarian Research Network), Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Park SJ, Lei W, Pisano J, Orpia A, Minehart J, Pottackal J, Hanke-Gogokhia C, Zapadka TE, Clarkson-Paredes C, Popratiloff A, Ross SE, Singer JH, Demb JB. Molecular identification of wide-field amacrine cells in mouse retina that encode stimulus orientation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.28.573580. [PMID: 38234775 PMCID: PMC10793454 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.28.573580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Visual information processing is sculpted by a diverse group of inhibitory interneurons in the retina called amacrine cells. Yet, for most of the >60 amacrine cell types, molecular identities and specialized functional attributes remain elusive. Here, we developed an intersectional genetic strategy to target a group of wide-field amacrine cells (WACs) in mouse retina that co-express the transcription factor Bhlhe22 and the Kappa Opioid Receptor (KOR; B/K WACs). B/K WACs feature straight, unbranched dendrites spanning over 0.5 mm (∼15° visual angle) and produce non-spiking responses to either light increments or decrements. Two-photon dendritic population imaging reveals Ca 2+ signals tuned to the physical orientations of B/K WAC dendrites, signifying a robust structure-function alignment. B/K WACs establish divergent connections with multiple retinal neurons, including unexpected connections with non-orientation-tuned ganglion cells and bipolar cells. Our work sets the stage for future comprehensive investigations of the most enigmatic group of retinal neurons: WACs.
Collapse
|
6
|
Gaynes JA, Budoff SA, Grybko MJ, Poleg-Polsky A. Heterogeneous presynaptic receptive fields contribute to directional tuning in starburst amacrine cells. eLife 2023; 12:RP90456. [PMID: 38149980 PMCID: PMC10752589 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90456] [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] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The processing of visual information by retinal starburst amacrine cells (SACs) involves transforming excitatory input from bipolar cells (BCs) into directional calcium output. While previous studies have suggested that an asymmetry in the kinetic properties of BCs along the soma-dendritic axes of the postsynaptic cell could enhance directional tuning at the level of individual branches, it remains unclear whether biologically relevant presynaptic kinetics contribute to direction selectivity (DS) when visual stimulation engages the entire dendritic tree. To address this question, we built multicompartmental models of the bipolar-SAC circuit and trained them to boost directional tuning. We report that despite significant dendritic crosstalk and dissimilar directional preferences along the dendrites that occur during whole-cell stimulation, the rules that guide BC kinetics leading to optimal DS are similar to the single-dendrite condition. To correlate model predictions to empirical findings, we utilized two-photon glutamate imaging to study the dynamics of bipolar release onto ON- and OFF-starburst dendrites in the murine retina. We reveal diverse presynaptic dynamics in response to motion in both BC populations; algorithms trained on the experimental data suggested that the differences in the temporal release kinetics are likely to correspond to heterogeneous receptive field properties among the different BC types, including the spatial extent of the center and surround components. In addition, we demonstrate that circuit architecture composed of presynaptic units with experimentally recorded dynamics could enhance directional drive but not to levels that replicate empirical findings, suggesting other DS mechanisms are required to explain SAC function. Our study provides new insights into the complex mechanisms underlying DS in retinal processing and highlights the potential contribution of presynaptic kinetics to the computation of visual information by SACs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John A Gaynes
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraUnited States
| | - Samuel A Budoff
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraUnited States
| | - Michael J Grybko
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraUnited States
| | - Alon Poleg-Polsky
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wang AYM, Kulkarni MM, McLaughlin AJ, Gayet J, Smith BE, Hauptschein M, McHugh CF, Yao YY, Puthussery T. An ON-type direction-selective ganglion cell in primate retina. Nature 2023; 623:381-386. [PMID: 37880369 PMCID: PMC10632142 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06659-4] [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: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
To maintain a stable and clear image of the world, our eyes reflexively follow the direction in which a visual scene is moving. Such gaze-stabilization mechanisms reduce image blur as we move in the environment. In non-primate mammals, this behaviour is initiated by retinal output neurons called ON-type direction-selective ganglion cells (ON-DSGCs), which detect the direction of image motion and transmit signals to brainstem nuclei that drive compensatory eye movements1. However, ON-DSGCs have not yet been identified in the retina of primates, raising the possibility that this reflex is mediated by cortical visual areas. Here we mined single-cell RNA transcriptomic data from primate retina to identify a candidate ON-DSGC. We then combined two-photon calcium imaging, molecular identification and morphological analysis to reveal a population of ON-DSGCs in the macaque retina. The morphology, molecular signature and GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)-dependent mechanisms that underlie direction selectivity in primate ON-DSGCs are highly conserved with those in other mammals. We further identify a candidate ON-DSGC in human retina. The presence of ON-DSGCs in primates highlights the need to examine the contribution of subcortical retinal mechanisms to normal and aberrant gaze stabilization in the developing and mature visual system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Y M Wang
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Manoj M Kulkarni
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Amanda J McLaughlin
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jacqueline Gayet
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin E Smith
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Vision Science Graduate Program, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Max Hauptschein
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Cyrus F McHugh
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Vision Science Graduate Program, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yvette Y Yao
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Teresa Puthussery
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Prigge CL, Dembla M, Sharma A, El-Quessny M, Kozlowski C, Paisley CE, Miltner AM, Johnson TM, Della Santina L, Feller MB, Kay JN. Rejection of inappropriate synaptic partners in mouse retina mediated by transcellular FLRT2-UNC5 signaling. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2080-2096.e7. [PMID: 37557174 PMCID: PMC10615732 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
During nervous system development, neurons choose synaptic partners with remarkable specificity; however, the cell-cell recognition mechanisms governing rejection of inappropriate partners remain enigmatic. Here, we show that mouse retinal neurons avoid inappropriate partners by using the FLRT2-uncoordinated-5 (UNC5) receptor-ligand system. Within the inner plexiform layer (IPL), FLRT2 is expressed by direction-selective (DS) circuit neurons, whereas UNC5C/D are expressed by non-DS neurons projecting to adjacent IPL sublayers. In vivo gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrate that FLRT2-UNC5 binding eliminates growing DS dendrites that have strayed from the DS circuit IPL sublayers. Abrogation of FLRT2-UNC5 binding allows mistargeted arbors to persist, elaborate, and acquire synapses from inappropriate partners. Conversely, UNC5C misexpression within DS circuit sublayers inhibits dendrite growth and drives arbors into adjacent sublayers. Mechanistically, UNC5s promote dendrite elimination by interfering with FLRT2-mediated adhesion. Based on their broad expression, FLRT-UNC5 recognition is poised to exert widespread effects upon synaptic partner choices across the nervous system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cameron L Prigge
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mayur Dembla
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Arsha Sharma
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Malak El-Quessny
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Christopher Kozlowski
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Caitlin E Paisley
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Adam M Miltner
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Tyler M Johnson
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Luca Della Santina
- Department of Vision Sciences, University of Houston College of Optometry, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Marla B Feller
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jeremy N Kay
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Gaynes JA, Budoff SA, Grybko MJ, Poleg-Polsky A. Heterogeneous presynaptic receptive fields contribute to directional tuning in starburst amacrine cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.02.551732. [PMID: 37577661 PMCID: PMC10418172 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.02.551732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The processing of visual information by retinal starburst amacrine cells (SACs) involves transforming excitatory input from bipolar cells (BCs) into directional calcium output. While previous studies have suggested that an asymmetry in the kinetic properties of bipolar cells along the soma-dendritic axes of the postsynaptic cell could enhance directional tuning at the level of individual branches, it remains unclear whether biologically relevant presynaptic kinetics contribute to direction selectivity when visual stimulation engages the entire dendritic tree. To address this question, we built multicompartmental models of the bipolar-SAC circuit and trained them to boost directional tuning. We report that despite significant dendritic crosstalk and dissimilar directional preferences along the dendrites that occur during whole-cell stimulation, the rules that guide BC kinetics leading to optimal directional selectivity are similar to the single-dendrite condition. To correlate model predictions to empirical findings, we utilized two-photon glutamate imaging to study the dynamics of bipolar release onto ON- and OFF-starburst dendrites in the murine retina. We reveal diverse presynaptic dynamics in response to motion in both BC populations; algorithms trained on the experimental data suggested that the differences in the temporal release kinetics are likely to correspond to heterogeneous receptive field (RF) properties among the different BC types, including the spatial extent of the center and surround components. In addition, we demonstrate that circuit architecture composed of presynaptic units with experimentally recorded dynamics could enhance directional drive but not to levels that replicate empirical findings, suggesting other DS mechanisms are required to explain SAC function. Our study provides new insights into the complex mechanisms underlying direction selectivity in retinal processing and highlights the potential contribution of presynaptic kinetics to the computation of visual information by starburst amacrine cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John A. Gaynes
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Samuel A. Budoff
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Michael J. Grybko
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Alon Poleg-Polsky
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Katada Y, Kunimi H, Serizawa N, Lee D, Kobayashi K, Negishi K, Okano H, Tanaka KF, Tsubota K, Kurihara T. Starburst amacrine cells amplify optogenetic visual restoration through gap junctions. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 30:1-13. [PMID: 37324975 PMCID: PMC10265492 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ectopic induction of optogenetic actuators, such as channelrhodopsin, is a promising approach to restoring vision in the degenerating retina. However, the cell type-specific response of ectopic photoreception has not been well understood. There are limits to obtaining efficient gene expression in a specifically targeted cell population by a transgenic approach. In the present study, we established a murine model with high efficiency of gene induction to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and amacrine cells using an improved tetracycline transactivator-operator bipartite system (KENGE-tet system). To investigate the cell type-specific visual restorative effect, we expressed the channelrhodopsin gene into RGCs and amacrine cells using the KENGE-tet system. As a result, enhancement in the visual restorative effect was observed to RGCs and starburst amacrine cells. In conclusion, a photoresponse from amacrine cells may enhance the maintained response of RGCs and further increase or improve the visual restorative effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yusaku Katada
- Laboratory of Photobiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Kunimi
- Laboratory of Photobiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Naho Serizawa
- Laboratory of Photobiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Toyo University, Kita-ku, Tokyo 115-8650, Japan
| | - Deokho Lee
- Laboratory of Photobiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kenta Kobayashi
- Section of Viral Vector Development, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Kazuno Negishi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kenji F. Tanaka
- Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Kazuo Tsubota
- Tsubota Laboratory, Inc, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0016, Japan
| | - Toshihide Kurihara
- Laboratory of Photobiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Wang B, Zhang Y. Asymmetric connections with starburst amacrine cells underlie the upward motion selectivity of J-type retinal ganglion cells. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002301. [PMID: 37721959 PMCID: PMC10538761 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Motion is an important aspect of visual information. The directions of visual motion are encoded in the retina by direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs). ON-OFF DSGCs and ON DSGCs co-stratify with starburst amacrine cells (SACs) in the inner plexiform layer and depend on SACs for their direction selectivity. J-type retinal ganglion cells (J-RGCs), a type of OFF DSGCs in the mouse retina, on the other hand, do not co-stratify with SACs, and how direction selectivity in J-RGCs emerges has not been understood. Here, we report that both the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to J-RGCs are direction-selective (DS), with the inhibitory inputs playing a more important role for direction selectivity. The DS inhibitory inputs come from SACs, and the functional connections between J-RGCs and SACs are spatially asymmetric. Thus, J-RGCs and SACs form functionally important synaptic contacts even though their dendritic arbors show little overlap. These findings underscore the need to look beyond the neurons' stratification patterns in retinal circuit studies. Our results also highlight the critical role of SACs for retinal direction selectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Mani A, Yang X, Zhao TA, Leyrer ML, Schreck D, Berson DM. A circuit suppressing retinal drive to the optokinetic system during fast image motion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5142. [PMID: 37612305 PMCID: PMC10447436 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40527-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) assists stabilization of the retinal image during head rotation. OKN is driven by ON direction selective retinal ganglion cells (ON DSGCs), which encode both the direction and speed of global retinal slip. The synaptic circuits responsible for the direction selectivity of ON DSGCs are well understood, but those sculpting their slow-speed preference remain enigmatic. Here, we probe this mechanism in mouse retina through patch clamp recordings, functional imaging, genetic manipulation, and electron microscopic reconstructions. We confirm earlier evidence that feedforward glycinergic inhibition is the main suppressor of ON DSGC responses to fast motion, and reveal the source for this inhibition-the VGluT3 amacrine cell, a dual neurotransmitter, excitatory/inhibitory interneuron. Together, our results identify a role for VGluT3 cells in limiting the speed range of OKN. More broadly, they suggest VGluT3 cells shape the response of many retinal cell types to fast motion, suppressing it in some while enhancing it in others.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Mani
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Xinzhu Yang
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Tiffany A Zhao
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Megan L Leyrer
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Daniel Schreck
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - David M Berson
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Harris SC, Dunn FA. Asymmetric retinal direction tuning predicts optokinetic eye movements across stimulus conditions. eLife 2023; 12:e81780. [PMID: 36930180 PMCID: PMC10023158 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81780] [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: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Across species, the optokinetic reflex (OKR) stabilizes vision during self-motion. OKR occurs when ON direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (oDSGCs) detect slow, global image motion on the retina. How oDSGC activity is integrated centrally to generate behavior remains unknown. Here, we discover mechanisms that contribute to motion encoding in vertically tuned oDSGCs and leverage these findings to empirically define signal transformation between retinal output and vertical OKR behavior. We demonstrate that motion encoding in vertically tuned oDSGCs is contrast-sensitive and asymmetric for oDSGC types that prefer opposite directions. These phenomena arise from the interplay between spike threshold nonlinearities and differences in synaptic input weights, including shifts in the balance of excitation and inhibition. In behaving mice, these neurophysiological observations, along with a central subtraction of oDSGC outputs, accurately predict the trajectories of vertical OKR across stimulus conditions. Thus, asymmetric tuning across competing sensory channels can critically shape behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott C Harris
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Felice A Dunn
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Al-Khindi T, Sherman MB, Kodama T, Gopal P, Pan Z, Kiraly JK, Zhang H, Goff LA, du Lac S, Kolodkin AL. The transcription factor Tbx5 regulates direction-selective retinal ganglion cell development and image stabilization. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4286-4298.e5. [PMID: 35998637 PMCID: PMC9560999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of visual input processed by the mammalian visual system requires the generation of many distinct retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types, each tuned to a particular feature. The molecular code needed to generate this cell-type diversity is poorly understood. Here, we focus on the molecules needed to specify one type of retinal cell: the upward-preferring ON direction-selective ganglion cell (up-oDSGC) of the mouse visual system. Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of up- and down-oDSGCs shows that the transcription factor Tbx5 is selectively expressed in up-oDSGCs. The loss of Tbx5 in up-oDSGCs results in a selective defect in the formation of up-oDSGCs and a corresponding inability to detect vertical motion. A downstream effector of Tbx5, Sfrp1, is also critical for vertical motion detection but not up-oDSGC formation. These results advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that specify a rare retinal cell type and show how disrupting this specification leads to a corresponding defect in neural circuitry and behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timour Al-Khindi
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Michael B Sherman
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Takashi Kodama
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Preethi Gopal
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zhiwei Pan
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - James K Kiraly
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Loyal A Goff
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Sascha du Lac
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Alex L Kolodkin
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Strauss S, Korympidou MM, Ran Y, Franke K, Schubert T, Baden T, Berens P, Euler T, Vlasits AL. Center-surround interactions underlie bipolar cell motion sensitivity in the mouse retina. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5574. [PMID: 36163124 PMCID: PMC9513071 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32762-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Motion sensing is a critical aspect of vision. We studied the representation of motion in mouse retinal bipolar cells and found that some bipolar cells are radially direction selective, preferring the origin of small object motion trajectories. Using a glutamate sensor, we directly observed bipolar cells synaptic output and found that there are radial direction selective and non-selective bipolar cell types, the majority being selective, and that radial direction selectivity relies on properties of the center-surround receptive field. We used these bipolar cell receptive fields along with connectomics to design biophysical models of downstream cells. The models and additional experiments demonstrated that bipolar cells pass radial direction selective excitation to starburst amacrine cells, which contributes to their directional tuning. As bipolar cells provide excitation to most amacrine and ganglion cells, their radial direction selectivity may contribute to motion processing throughout the visual system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Strauss
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria M Korympidou
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yanli Ran
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Franke
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Timm Schubert
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tom Baden
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Philipp Berens
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Euler
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Anna L Vlasits
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Tiriac A, Feller MB. Roles of visually evoked and spontaneous activity in the development of retinal direction selectivity maps. Trends Neurosci 2022; 45:529-538. [PMID: 35491255 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Detecting the direction of motion underlies many visually guided behaviors, from reflexive eye movements to identifying and catching moving objects. A subset of motion sensitive cells are direction selective - responding strongly to motion in one direction and weakly to motion in other directions. In mammals, direction-selective cells are found throughout the visual system, including the retina, superior colliculus, and primary visual cortex. Direction selectivity maps are well characterized in the mouse retina, where the preferred directions of retinal direction-selective cells follow the projections of optic flow, generated by the movements animals make as they navigate their environment. Here, we synthesize recent findings implicating activity-dependent mechanisms in the development of retinal direction selectivity maps, with primary focus on studies in mice, and discuss the implications for the development of direction-selective responses in downstream visual areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Tiriac
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Marla B Feller
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Patterson SS, Bembry BN, Mazzaferri MA, Neitz M, Rieke F, Soetedjo R, Neitz J. Conserved circuits for direction selectivity in the primate retina. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2529-2538.e4. [PMID: 35588744 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The detection of motion direction is a fundamental visual function and a classic model for neural computation. In the non-primate retina, direction selectivity arises in starburst amacrine cell (SAC) dendrites, which provide selective inhibition to direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (dsRGCs). Although SACs are present in primates, their connectivity and the existence of dsRGCs remain open questions. Here, we present a connectomic reconstruction of the primate ON SAC circuit from a serial electron microscopy volume of the macaque central retina. We show that the structural basis for the SACs' ability to confer directional selectivity on postsynaptic neurons is conserved. SACs selectively target a candidate homolog to the mammalian ON-sustained dsRGCs that project to the accessory optic system (AOS) and contribute to gaze-stabilizing reflexes. These results indicate that the capacity to compute motion direction is present in the retina, which is earlier in the primate visual system than classically thought.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara S Patterson
- Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| | - Briyana N Bembry
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Marcus A Mazzaferri
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Maureen Neitz
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Fred Rieke
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Robijanto Soetedjo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jay Neitz
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
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.
Collapse
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;
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Ezra-Tsur E, Amsalem O, Ankri L, Patil P, Segev I, Rivlin-Etzion M. Realistic retinal modeling unravels the differential role of excitation and inhibition to starburst amacrine cells in direction selectivity. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009754. [PMID: 34968385 PMCID: PMC8754344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal direction-selectivity originates in starburst amacrine cells (SACs), which display a centrifugal preference, responding with greater depolarization to a stimulus expanding from soma to dendrites than to a collapsing stimulus. Various mechanisms were hypothesized to underlie SAC centrifugal preference, but dissociating them is experimentally challenging and the mechanisms remain debatable. To address this issue, we developed the Retinal Stimulation Modeling Environment (RSME), a multifaceted data-driven retinal model that encompasses detailed neuronal morphology and biophysical properties, retina-tailored connectivity scheme and visual input. Using a genetic algorithm, we demonstrated that spatiotemporally diverse excitatory inputs-sustained in the proximal and transient in the distal processes-are sufficient to generate experimentally validated centrifugal preference in a single SAC. Reversing these input kinetics did not produce any centrifugal-preferring SAC. We then explored the contribution of SAC-SAC inhibitory connections in establishing the centrifugal preference. SAC inhibitory network enhanced the centrifugal preference, but failed to generate it in its absence. Embedding a direction selective ganglion cell (DSGC) in a SAC network showed that the known SAC-DSGC asymmetric connectivity by itself produces direction selectivity. Still, this selectivity is sharpened in a centrifugal-preferring SAC network. Finally, we use RSME to demonstrate the contribution of SAC-SAC inhibitory connections in mediating direction selectivity and recapitulate recent experimental findings. Thus, using RSME, we obtained a mechanistic understanding of SACs' centrifugal preference and its contribution to direction selectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elishai Ezra-Tsur
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel
| | - Oren Amsalem
- Department of Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lea Ankri
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Pritish Patil
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Idan Segev
- Department of Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Zhang X, Wang X, Wang S, Peng W, Ullah R, Fu J, Zhou Y, Shen Y. Trilogy Development of Proopiomelanocortin Neurons From Embryonic to Adult Stages in the Mice Retina. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:718851. [PMID: 34676208 PMCID: PMC8523858 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.718851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proopiomelanocortin-positive amacrine cells (POMC ACs) were first discovered in adult mouse retinas in 2010; however, the development of POMC-ACs has not been studied. We bred POMC-EGFP mice to label POMC-positive cells and investigated the development of POMC neurons from embryonic to adult stages. We found that POMC neuron development is mainly divided into three stages: the embryonic stage, the closed-eye stage, and the open-eye stage. Each stage has unique characteristics. In the embryonic stage, POMC neurons appeared in the retina at about E13. There was a cell number developmental peak at E15, followed by a steep decline at E16. POMC neurons showed a large soma and increased spine numbers at the closed-eye stage, and two dendritic sublaminas formed in the inner plexiform layer (IPL). The appearance and increased soma size and dendrite numbers did not occur continuously in space. We found that the soma number was asymmetric between the superior and inferior retinas according to the developmental topographic map. Density peaked in the superior retina, which existed persistently in the retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL), but disappeared from the inner nuclear layer (INL) at about P6. At the same time, the soma distribution in the INL was the most regular. At the open-eye stage, the development of POMC neurons was nearly stable only with only an increase in the IPL width, which increased the soma–dendrite distance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuhong Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Senjie Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Peng
- Department of Endocrinology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Rahim Ullah
- Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Endocrinology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Junfen Fu
- Department of Endocrinology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yudong Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ye Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Matsumoto A, Agbariah W, Nolte SS, Andrawos R, Levi H, Sabbah S, Yonehara K. Direction selectivity in retinal bipolar cell axon terminals. Neuron 2021; 109:2928-2942.e8. [PMID: 34390651 PMCID: PMC8478419 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to encode the direction of image motion is fundamental to our sense of vision. Direction selectivity along the four cardinal directions is thought to originate in direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) because of directionally tuned GABAergic suppression by starburst cells. Here, by utilizing two-photon glutamate imaging to measure synaptic release, we reveal that direction selectivity along all four directions arises earlier than expected at bipolar cell outputs. Individual bipolar cells contained four distinct populations of axon terminal boutons with different preferred directions. We further show that this bouton-specific tuning relies on cholinergic excitation from starburst cells and GABAergic inhibition from wide-field amacrine cells. DSGCs received both tuned directionally aligned inputs and untuned inputs from among heterogeneously tuned glutamatergic bouton populations. Thus, directional tuning in the excitatory visual pathway is incrementally refined at the bipolar cell axon terminals and their recipient DSGC dendrites by two different neurotransmitters co-released from starburst cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Matsumoto
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 8, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Weaam Agbariah
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Stella Solveig Nolte
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 8, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Rawan Andrawos
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Hadara Levi
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Shai Sabbah
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 8, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Ge X, Zhang K, Gribizis A, Hamodi AS, Sabino AM, Crair MC. Retinal waves prime visual motion detection by simulating future optic flow. Science 2021; 373:373/6553/eabd0830. [PMID: 34437090 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd0830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The ability to perceive and respond to environmental stimuli emerges in the absence of sensory experience. Spontaneous retinal activity prior to eye opening guides the refinement of retinotopy and eye-specific segregation in mammals, but its role in the development of higher-order visual response properties remains unclear. Here, we describe a transient window in neonatal mouse development during which the spatial propagation of spontaneous retinal waves resembles the optic flow pattern generated by forward self-motion. We show that wave directionality requires the same circuit components that form the adult direction-selective retinal circuit and that chronic disruption of wave directionality alters the development of direction-selective responses of superior colliculus neurons. These data demonstrate how the developing visual system patterns spontaneous activity to simulate ethologically relevant features of the external world and thereby instruct self-organization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Ge
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Kathy Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Alexandra Gribizis
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Ali S Hamodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Aude Martinez Sabino
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Michael C Crair
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Skrapits K, Sárvári M, Farkas I, Göcz B, Takács S, Rumpler É, Váczi V, Vastagh C, Rácz G, Matolcsy A, Solymosi N, Póliska S, Tóth B, Erdélyi F, Szabó G, Culler MD, Allet C, Cotellessa L, Prévot V, Giacobini P, Hrabovszky E. The cryptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal system of human basal ganglia. eLife 2021; 10:67714. [PMID: 34128468 PMCID: PMC8245125 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Human reproduction is controlled by ~2000 hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of additional ~150,000–200,000 GnRH-synthesizing cells in the human basal ganglia and basal forebrain. Nearly all extrahypothalamic GnRH neurons expressed the cholinergic marker enzyme choline acetyltransferase. Similarly, hypothalamic GnRH neurons were also cholinergic both in embryonic and adult human brains. Whole-transcriptome analysis of cholinergic interneurons and medium spiny projection neurons laser-microdissected from the human putamen showed selective expression of GNRH1 and GNRHR1 autoreceptors in the cholinergic cell population and uncovered the detailed transcriptome profile and molecular connectome of these two cell types. Higher-order non-reproductive functions regulated by GnRH under physiological conditions in the human basal ganglia and basal forebrain require clarification. The role and changes of GnRH/GnRHR1 signaling in neurodegenerative disorders affecting cholinergic neurocircuitries, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, need to be explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Skrapits
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Sárvári
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Imre Farkas
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Göcz
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szabolcs Takács
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Rumpler
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktória Váczi
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csaba Vastagh
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergely Rácz
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Matolcsy
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Norbert Solymosi
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilárd Póliska
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Blanka Tóth
- Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Erdélyi
- Department of Gene Technology and Developmental Biology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Szabó
- Department of Gene Technology and Developmental Biology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Cecile Allet
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Ludovica Cotellessa
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Vincent Prévot
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Paolo Giacobini
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Erik Hrabovszky
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ding J, Chen A, Chung J, Acaron Ledesma H, Wu M, Berson DM, Palmer SE, Wei W. Spatially displaced excitation contributes to the encoding of interrupted motion by a retinal direction-selective circuit. eLife 2021; 10:e68181. [PMID: 34096504 PMCID: PMC8211448 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatially distributed excitation and inhibition collectively shape a visual neuron's receptive field (RF) properties. In the direction-selective circuit of the mammalian retina, the role of strong null-direction inhibition of On-Off direction-selective ganglion cells (On-Off DSGCs) on their direction selectivity is well-studied. However, how excitatory inputs influence the On-Off DSGC's visual response is underexplored. Here, we report that On-Off DSGCs have a spatially displaced glutamatergic receptive field along their horizontal preferred-null motion axes. This displaced receptive field contributes to DSGC null-direction spiking during interrupted motion trajectories. Theoretical analyses indicate that population responses during interrupted motion may help populations of On-Off DSGCs signal the spatial location of moving objects in complex, naturalistic visual environments. Our study highlights that the direction-selective circuit exploits separate sets of mechanisms under different stimulus conditions, and these mechanisms may help encode multiple visual features.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Ding
- Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Albert Chen
- Department of Organismal Biology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Janet Chung
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Hector Acaron Ledesma
- Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Mofei Wu
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - David M Berson
- Department of Neuroscience and Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - Stephanie E Palmer
- Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Organismal Biology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Wei Wei
- Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, The University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
El-Quessny M, Maanum K, Feller MB. Visual Experience Influences Dendritic Orientation but Is Not Required for Asymmetric Wiring of the Retinal Direction Selective Circuit. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107844. [PMID: 32610144 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in dendritic morphology in response to activity have long been thought to be a critical component of how neural circuits develop to properly encode sensory information. Ventral-preferring direction-selective ganglion cells (vDSGCs) have asymmetric dendrites oriented along their preferred direction, and this has been hypothesized to play a critical role in their tuning. Here we report the surprising result that visual experience is critical for the alignment of vDSGC dendrites to their preferred direction. Interestingly, vDSGCs in dark-reared mice lose their inhibition-independent dendritic contribution to direction-selective tuning while maintaining asymmetric inhibitory input. These data indicate that different mechanisms of a cell's computational abilities can be constructed over development through divergent mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Malak El-Quessny
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kayla Maanum
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Marla B Feller
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Sethuramanujam S, Matsumoto A, deRosenroll G, Murphy-Baum B, Grosman C, McIntosh JM, Jing M, Li Y, Berson D, Yonehara K, Awatramani GB. Rapid multi-directed cholinergic transmission in the central nervous system. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1374. [PMID: 33654091 PMCID: PMC7925691 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21680-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In many parts of the central nervous system, including the retina, it is unclear whether cholinergic transmission is mediated by rapid, point-to-point synaptic mechanisms, or slower, broad-scale 'non-synaptic' mechanisms. Here, we characterized the ultrastructural features of cholinergic connections between direction-selective starburst amacrine cells and downstream ganglion cells in an existing serial electron microscopy data set, as well as their functional properties using electrophysiology and two-photon acetylcholine (ACh) imaging. Correlative results demonstrate that a 'tripartite' structure facilitates a 'multi-directed' form of transmission, in which ACh released from a single vesicle rapidly (~1 ms) co-activates receptors expressed in multiple neurons located within ~1 µm of the release site. Cholinergic signals are direction-selective at a local, but not global scale, and facilitate the transfer of information from starburst to ganglion cell dendrites. These results suggest a distinct operational framework for cholinergic signaling that bears the hallmarks of synaptic and non-synaptic forms of transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Akihiro Matsumoto
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | | | - Claudio Grosman
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 407 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - J Michael McIntosh
- George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry; School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Miao Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - David Berson
- Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Pottackal J, Singer JH, Demb JB. Receptoral Mechanisms for Fast Cholinergic Transmission in Direction-Selective Retinal Circuitry. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:604163. [PMID: 33324168 PMCID: PMC7726240 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.604163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Direction selectivity represents an elementary sensory computation that can be related to underlying synaptic mechanisms. In mammalian retina, direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) respond strongly to visual motion in a "preferred" direction and weakly to motion in the opposite, "null" direction. The DS mechanism depends on starburst amacrine cells (SACs), which provide null direction-tuned GABAergic inhibition and untuned cholinergic excitation to DSGCs. GABAergic inhibition depends on conventional synaptic transmission, whereas cholinergic excitation apparently depends on paracrine (i.e., non-synaptic) transmission. Despite its paracrine mode of transmission, cholinergic excitation is more transient than GABAergic inhibition, yielding a temporal difference that contributes essentially to the DS computation. To isolate synaptic mechanisms that generate the distinct temporal properties of cholinergic and GABAergic transmission from SACs to DSGCs, we optogenetically stimulated SACs while recording postsynaptic currents (PSCs) from DSGCs in mouse retina. Direct recordings from channelrhodopsin-2-expressing (ChR2+) SACs during quasi-white noise (WN) (0-30 Hz) photostimulation demonstrated precise, graded optogenetic control of SAC membrane current and potential. Linear systems analysis of ChR2-evoked PSCs recorded in DSGCs revealed cholinergic transmission to be faster than GABAergic transmission. A deconvolution-based analysis showed that distinct postsynaptic receptor kinetics fully account for the temporal difference between cholinergic and GABAergic transmission. Furthermore, GABAA receptor blockade prolonged cholinergic transmission, identifying a new functional role for GABAergic inhibition of SACs. Thus, fast cholinergic transmission from SACs to DSGCs arises from at least two distinct mechanisms, yielding temporal properties consistent with conventional synapses despite its paracrine nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Pottackal
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Joshua H. Singer
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan B. Demb
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Rangel Olguin AG, Rochon PL, Krishnaswamy A. New Optical Tools to Study Neural Circuit Assembly in the Retina. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:44. [PMID: 32848633 PMCID: PMC7424070 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, neurons navigate a tangled thicket of thousands of axons and dendrites to synapse with just a few specific targets. This phenomenon termed wiring specificity, is critical to the assembly of neural circuits and the way neurons manage this feat is only now becoming clear. Recent studies in the mouse retina are shedding new insight into this process. They show that specific wiring arises through a series of stages that include: directed axonal and dendritic growth, the formation of neuropil layers, positioning of such layers, and matching of co-laminar synaptic partners. Each stage appears to be directed by a distinct family of recognition molecules, suggesting that the combinatorial expression of such family members might act as a blueprint for retinal connectivity. By reviewing the evidence in support of each stage, and by considering their underlying molecular mechanisms, we attempt to synthesize these results into a wiring model which generates testable predictions for future studies. Finally, we conclude by highlighting new optical methods that could be used to address such predictions and gain further insight into this fundamental process.
Collapse
|
29
|
Rasmussen R, Yonehara K. Contributions of Retinal Direction Selectivity to Central Visual Processing. Curr Biol 2020; 30:R897-R903. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
30
|
Cui LJ, Chen WH, Liu AL, Han X, Jiang SX, Yuan F, Zhong YM, Yang XL, Weng SJ. nGnG Amacrine Cells and Brn3b-negative M1 ipRGCs are Specifically Labeled in the ChAT-ChR2-EYFP Mouse. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2020; 61:14. [PMID: 32049344 PMCID: PMC7326507 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.61.2.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Experimental access to specific cell subtypes is essential for deciphering the complexity of retinal networks. Here, we characterized the selective labeling, caused by ectopic transgene expression, of two atypical retinal neurons in the ChAT-Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)-EYFP mouse. Methods Retinal sections and flat-mounts were prepared for double-staining immunohistochemistry with antibodies against EYFP and various neuronal markers. Sagittal/coronal brain slices were made to visualize EYFP signals in central nuclei. Whole-cell recordings were conducted to test the functionality of ChR2. Results Two populations of EYFP-positive retinal cells were observed. The inner nuclear layer (INL)-located one (type I cell) distributed regularly throughout the entire retina, whereas the ganglion cell layer (GCL)-residing one (type II cell) was restricted ventrally. None of them was cholinergic, as evidenced by the complete absence of ChAT immunoreactivity. Type I cells were immunolabeled by the amacrine marker syntaxin. However, the vast majority of them were neither positive to GABA/GAD65, nor to GlyT1/glycine, suggesting that they were non-GABAergic non-glycinergic amacrine cells (nGnG ACs), which was confirmed by double-labeling with the nGnG AC marker PPP1R17. Type II cells were immunopositive to melanopsin, but not to Brn3a or Brn3b. They possessed dendrites stratifying in the outermost inner plexiform layer (IPL) and axons projecting to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) rather than the olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN), suggesting that they belonged to a Brn3b-negative subset of M1-type intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Glutamatergic transmission-independent photocurrents were elicited in EYFP-positive cells, indicating the functional expression of ChR2. Conclusions The ChAT-ChR2-EYFP retina exhibits ectopic, but functional, transgene expression in nGnG ACs and SCN-innervating M1 ipRGCs, thus providing an ideal tool to achieve efficient labeling and optogenetic manipulation of these cells.
Collapse
|
31
|
Soto F, Tien NW, Goel A, Zhao L, Ruzycki PA, Kerschensteiner D. AMIGO2 Scales Dendrite Arbors in the Retina. Cell Rep 2019; 29:1568-1578.e4. [PMID: 31693896 PMCID: PMC6871773 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.09.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The size of dendrite arbors shapes their function and differs vastly between neuron types. The signals that control dendritic arbor size remain obscure. Here, we find that in the retina, starburst amacrine cells (SACs) and rod bipolar cells (RBCs) express the homophilic cell-surface protein AMIGO2. In Amigo2 knockout (KO) mice, SAC and RBC dendrites expand while arbors of other retinal neurons remain stable. SAC dendrites are divided into a central input region and a peripheral output region that provides asymmetric inhibition to direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs). Input and output compartments scale precisely with increased arbor size in Amigo2 KO mice, and SAC dendrites maintain asymmetric connectivity with DSGCs. Increased coverage of SAC dendrites is accompanied by increased direction selectivity of DSGCs without changes to other ganglion cells. Our results identify AMIGO2 as a cell-type-specific dendritic scaling factor and link dendrite size and coverage to visual feature detection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florentina Soto
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Nai-Wen Tien
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Anurag Goel
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lei Zhao
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Philip A Ruzycki
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel Kerschensteiner
- John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Wang F, Shen J, Jiang S, Qiu Y, Ye X, Wang C, Liang C, Xu W. The Recognition of the Distribution Features of Corticospinal Neurons by a Retrograde Trans-synaptic Tracing to Elucidate the Clinical Application of Contralateral Middle Trunk Transfer. Neuroscience 2019; 424:86-101. [PMID: 31678345 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Corticospinal neurons (CSNs) undertake direct cortical outputs to the spinal cord and innervate the upper limb through the brachial plexus. Our previous study has shown that the contralateral middle trunk transfer to the paralyzed upper extremity due to cerebral injury can reconstruct the functional cerebral cortex and improve the function of the paralyzed upper extremity. To interpret the cortical reconstruction and the motor improvement after the middle trunk transfer, we explored the distribution of CSNs connecting to the middle, upper, and lower trunk of the brachial plexus by retrograde trans-neuronal tracing using pseudorabies virus (PRV-EGFP or PRV-mRFP). We show that, rather than an individual specific area, these CSNs labelled by each trunk of the brachial plexus were widespread and mainly assembled within the primary motor cortex (M1), secondary motor cortex (M2), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and slightly within the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2). The three trunk-labelled CSNs were intermingled in these cortices, and mostly connected to more than two trunks, especially the middle trunk-labelled CSNs with higher proportion of co-labelled neurons. Our findings revealed the distribution features of CSNs connecting to the adjacent spinal nerves that innervate the upper limb, which can improve our understanding of the corticospinal circuits associated with motor improvement and the functional cortical reconstruction after the middle trunk transfer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Central Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Jun Shen
- Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Su Jiang
- Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Yanqun Qiu
- Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Central Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Xuan Ye
- Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Chengpan Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chunmin Liang
- Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Central Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wendong Xu
- Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Central Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Priority Among Priorities of Shanghai Municipal Clinical Medicine Center, Shanghai 200040, China; National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Li J, Liu T, Dong Y, Kondoh K, Lu Z. Trans-synaptic Neural Circuit-Tracing with Neurotropic Viruses. Neurosci Bull 2019; 35:909-920. [PMID: 31004271 PMCID: PMC6754522 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-019-00374-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A central objective in deciphering the nervous system in health and disease is to define the connections of neurons. The propensity of neurotropic viruses to spread among synaptically-linked neurons makes them ideal for mapping neural circuits. So far, several classes of viral neuronal tracers have become available and provide a powerful toolbox for delineating neural networks. In this paper, we review the recent developments of neurotropic viral tracers and highlight their unique properties in revealing patterns of neuronal connections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiamin Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Taian Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yun Dong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Kunio Kondoh
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Homeostatic Regulation, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institute of Natural Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, PRESTO, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.
| | - Zhonghua Lu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Spatiotemporally Asymmetric Excitation Supports Mammalian Retinal Motion Sensitivity. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3277-3288.e5. [PMID: 31564498 PMCID: PMC6865067 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The detection of visual motion is a fundamental function of the visual system. How motion speed and direction are computed together at the cellular level, however, remains largely unknown. Here, we suggest a circuit mechanism by which excitatory inputs to direction-selective ganglion cells in the mouse retina become sensitive to the motion speed and direction of image motion. Electrophysiological, imaging, and connectomic analyses provide evidence that the dendrites of ON direction-selective cells receive spatially offset and asymmetrically filtered glutamatergic inputs along motion-preference axis from asymmetrically wired bipolar and amacrine cell types with distinct release dynamics. A computational model shows that, with this spatiotemporal structure, the input amplitude becomes sensitive to speed and direction by a preferred direction enhancement mechanism. Our results highlight the role of an excitatory mechanism in retinal motion computation by which feature selectivity emerges from non-selective inputs.
Collapse
|
35
|
Neural mechanisms of contextual modulation in the retinal direction selective circuit. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2431. [PMID: 31160566 PMCID: PMC6547848 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10268-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Contextual modulation of neuronal responses by surrounding environments is a fundamental attribute of sensory processing. In the mammalian retina, responses of On–Off direction selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) are modulated by motion contexts. However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show that posterior-preferring DSGCs (pDSGCs) are sensitive to discontinuities of moving contours owing to contextually modulated cholinergic excitation from starburst amacrine cells (SACs). Using a combination of synapse-specific genetic manipulations, patch clamp electrophysiology and connectomic analysis, we identified distinct circuit motifs upstream of On and Off SACs that are required for the contextual modulation of pDSGC activity for bright and dark contrasts. Furthermore, our results reveal a class of wide-field amacrine cells (WACs) with straight, unbranching dendrites that function as “continuity detectors” of moving contours. Therefore, divergent circuit motifs in the On and Off pathways extend the information encoding of On-Off DSGCs beyond their direction selectivity during complex stimuli. The mechanisms of contextual modulation in direction selective ganglion cells in the retina remain unclear. Here, the authors find that that On-Off direction-selective ganglion cells are differentially sensitive to discontinuities of dark and bright moving edges in the visual environment and, using synapse-specific genetic manipulations with functional measurements, reveal the microcircuits underlying this contextual sensitivity.
Collapse
|
36
|
Johnson KP, Zhao L, Kerschensteiner D. A Pixel-Encoder Retinal Ganglion Cell with Spatially Offset Excitatory and Inhibitory Receptive Fields. Cell Rep 2019; 22:1462-1472. [PMID: 29425502 PMCID: PMC5826572 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The spike trains of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the only source of visual information to the brain. Here, we genetically identify an RGC type in mice that functions as a pixel encoder and increases firing to light increments (PixON-RGC). PixON-RGCs have medium-sized dendritic arbors and non-canonical center-surround receptive fields. From their receptive field center, PixON-RGCs receive only excitatory input, which encodes contrast and spatial information linearly. From their receptive field surround, PixON-RGCs receive only inhibitory input, which is temporally matched to the excitatory center input. As a result, the firing rate of PixON-RGCs linearly encodes local image contrast. Spatially offset (i.e., truly lateral) inhibition of PixON-RGCs arises from spiking GABAergic amacrine cells. The receptive field organization of PixON-RGCs is independent of stimulus wavelength (i.e., achromatic). PixON-RGCs project predominantly to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus and likely contribute to visual perception.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keith P Johnson
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lei Zhao
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel Kerschensteiner
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Simulated Saccadic Stimuli Suppress ON-Type Direction-Selective Retinal Ganglion Cells via Glycinergic Inhibition. J Neurosci 2019; 39:4312-4322. [PMID: 30926751 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3066-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Two types of mammalian direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs), ON and ONOFF, operate over different speed ranges. The directional axes of the ON-DSGCs are thought to align with the axes of the vestibular system and provide sensitivity at rotational velocities that are too slow to activate the semicircular canals. ONOFF-DSGCs respond to faster image velocities. Using natural images that simulate the natural visual inputs to freely moving animals, we show that simulated visual saccades suppress responses in ON-DSGCs but not ONOFF-DSGCs recorded in retinas of domestic rabbits of either gender. Analysis of the synaptic inputs shows that this saccadic suppression results from glycinergic inputs that are specific to ON-DSGCs and are absent in ONOFF-DSGCs. When this glycinergic input is blocked, both cell types respond similarly to visual saccades and display essentially identical speed tuning. The results demonstrate that glycinergic circuits within the retina can produce saccadic suppression of retinal ganglion cell activity. The cell-type-specific targeting of the glycinergic circuits further supports the proposed physiological roles of ON-DSGCs in retinal-image stabilization and of ONOFF-DSGCs in detecting local object motion and signaling optical flow.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the mammalian retina, ON direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) respond preferentially to slow image motion, whereas ONOFF-DSGCs respond better to rapid motion. The mechanisms producing this different speed tuning remain unclear. Here we show that simulated visual saccades suppress ON-DSGCs, but not ONOFF-DSGCs. This selective saccadic suppression is because of the selective targeting of glycinergic inhibitory synaptic inputs to ON-DSGCs. The different saccadic suppression in the two cell types points to different physiological roles, consistent with their projections to distinct areas within the brain. ON-DSGCs may be critical for providing the visual feedback signals that contribute to stabilizing the image on the retina, whereas ONOFF-DSGCs may be important for detecting the onset of saccades or for signaling optical flow.
Collapse
|
38
|
Roska B. The first steps in vision: cell types, circuits, and repair. EMBO Mol Med 2019; 11:e10218. [PMID: 30670464 PMCID: PMC6404109 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201810218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysfunction of the key sense of vision, leading to visual handicap or blindness, has a crucial effect on day-to-day life. In this commentary, I will summarize the work in my laboratory that is focused on a basic understanding of visual processing and the use of this information to understand disease mechanism and to develop correcting therapies. We are beginning to understand how cell types of the visual system interact in local circuits and compute visual information. This has brought insight into mechanisms of cell-type-specific diseases and has allowed us to design new therapies for restoring vision in genetic forms of blindness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Botond Roska
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology BaselBaselSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
- Friedrich Miescher InstituteBaselSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Hanson L, Sethuramanujam S, deRosenroll G, Jain V, Awatramani GB. Retinal direction selectivity in the absence of asymmetric starburst amacrine cell responses. eLife 2019; 8:42392. [PMID: 30714905 PMCID: PMC6377229 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In the mammalian retina, direction-selectivity is thought to originate in the dendrites of GABAergic/cholinergic starburst amacrine cells, where it is first observed. However, here we demonstrate that direction selectivity in downstream ganglion cells remains remarkably unaffected when starburst dendrites are rendered non-directional, using a novel strategy combining a conditional GABAA α2 receptor knockout mouse with optogenetics. We show that temporal asymmetries between excitation/inhibition, arising from the differential connectivity patterns of starburst cholinergic and GABAergic synapses to ganglion cells, form the basis for a parallel mechanism generating direction selectivity. We further demonstrate that these distinct mechanisms work in a coordinated way to refine direction selectivity as the stimulus crosses the ganglion cell’s receptive field. Thus, precise spatiotemporal patterns of inhibition and excitation that determine directional responses in ganglion cells are shaped by two ‘core’ mechanisms, both arising from distinct specializations of the starburst network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hanson
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | | | | | - Varsha Jain
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Lilley BN, Sabbah S, Hunyara JL, Gribble KD, Al-Khindi T, Xiong J, Wu Z, Berson DM, Kolodkin AL. Genetic access to neurons in the accessory optic system reveals a role for Sema6A in midbrain circuitry mediating motion perception. J Comp Neurol 2019; 527:282-296. [PMID: 30076594 PMCID: PMC6312510 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The accessory optic system (AOS) detects retinal image slip and reports it to the oculomotor system for reflexive image stabilization. Here, we characterize two Cre lines that permit genetic access to AOS circuits responding to vertical motion. The first (Pcdh9-Cre) labels only one of the four subtypes of ON direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (ON-DS RGCs), those preferring ventral retinal motion. Their axons diverge from the optic tract just behind the chiasm and selectively innervate the medial terminal nucleus (MTN) of the AOS. Unlike most RGC subtypes examined, they survive after optic nerve crush. The second Cre-driver line (Pdzk1ip1-Cre) labels postsynaptic neurons in the MTN. These project predominantly to the other major terminal nucleus of the AOS, the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT). We find that the transmembrane protein semaphorin 6A (Sema6A) is required for the formation of axonal projections from the MTN to the NOT, just as it is for the retinal innervation of the MTN. These new tools permit manipulation of specific circuits in the AOS and show that Sema6A is required for establishing AOS connections in multiple locations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brendan N. Lilley
- Solomon Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
- Current address: The Wilmer Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Shai Sabbah
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
- Current address: Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - John L. Hunyara
- Solomon Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Katherine D. Gribble
- Solomon Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Timour Al-Khindi
- Solomon Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Jiali Xiong
- Solomon Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Zhuhao Wu
- Laboratory of Brain Development and Repair, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - David M. Berson
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
| | - Alex L. Kolodkin
- Solomon Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
GABA release selectively regulates synapse development at distinct inputs on direction-selective retinal ganglion cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E12083-E12090. [PMID: 30509993 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803490115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic inhibition controls a neuron's output via functionally distinct inputs at two subcellular compartments, the cell body and the dendrites. It is unclear whether the assembly of these distinct inhibitory inputs can be regulated independently by neurotransmission. In the mammalian retina, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release from starburst amacrine cells (SACs) onto the dendrites of on-off direction-selective ganglion cells (ooDSGCs) is essential for directionally selective responses. We found that ooDSGCs also receive GABAergic input on their somata from other amacrine cells (ACs), including ACs containing the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). When net GABAergic transmission is reduced, somatic, but not dendritic, GABAA receptor clusters on the ooDSGC increased in number and size. Correlative fluorescence imaging and serial electron microscopy revealed that these enlarged somatic receptor clusters are localized to synapses. By contrast, selectively blocking vesicular GABA release from either SACs or VIP ACs did not alter dendritic or somatic receptor distributions on the ooDSGCs, showing that neither SAC nor VIP AC GABA release alone is required for the development of inhibitory synapses in ooDSGCs. Furthermore, a reduction in net GABAergic transmission, but not a selective reduction from SACs, increased excitatory drive onto ooDSGCs. This increased excitation may drive a homeostatic increase in ooDSGC somatic GABAA receptors. Differential regulation of GABAA receptors on the ooDSGC's soma and dendrites could facilitate homeostatic control of the ooDSGC's output while enabling the assembly of the GABAergic connectivity underlying direction selectivity to be indifferent to altered transmission.
Collapse
|
42
|
Abstract
Visual motion on the retina activates a cohort of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). This population activity encodes multiple streams of information extracted by parallel retinal circuits. Motion processing in the retina is best studied in the direction-selective circuit. The main focus of this review is the neural basis of direction selectivity, which has been investigated in unprecedented detail using state-of-the-art functional, connectomic, and modeling methods. Mechanisms underlying the encoding of other motion features by broader RGC populations are also discussed. Recent discoveries at both single-cell and population levels highlight the dynamic and stimulus-dependent engagement of multiple mechanisms that collectively implement robust motion detection under diverse visual conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Chen Q, Wei W. Stimulus-dependent engagement of neural mechanisms for reliable motion detection in the mouse retina. J Neurophysiol 2018; 120:1153-1161. [PMID: 29897862 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00716.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Direction selectivity is a fundamental computation in the visual system and is first computed by the direction-selective circuit in the mammalian retina. Although landmark discoveries on the neural basis of direction selectivity have been made in the rabbit, many technological advances designed for the mouse have emerged, making this organism a favored model for investigating the direction-selective circuit at the molecular, synaptic, and network levels. Studies using diverse motion stimuli in the mouse retina demonstrate that retinal direction selectivity is implemented by multilayered mechanisms. This review begins with a set of central mechanisms that are engaged under a wide range of visual conditions and then focuses on additional layers of mechanisms that are dynamically recruited under different visual stimulus conditions. Together, recent findings allude to an emerging theme: robust motion detection in the natural environment requires flexible neural mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois.,Committee on Computational Neuroscience, The University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois.,Committee on Computational Neuroscience, The University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Rasmussen R, Yonehara K. Circuit Mechanisms Governing Local vs. Global Motion Processing in Mouse Visual Cortex. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:109. [PMID: 29311845 PMCID: PMC5743699 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A withstanding question in neuroscience is how neural circuits encode representations and perceptions of the external world. A particularly well-defined visual computation is the representation of global object motion by pattern direction-selective (PDS) cells from convergence of motion of local components represented by component direction-selective (CDS) cells. However, how PDS and CDS cells develop their distinct response properties is still unresolved. The visual cortex of the mouse is an attractive model for experimentally solving this issue due to the large molecular and genetic toolbox available. Although mouse visual cortex lacks the highly ordered orientation columns of primates, it is organized in functional sub-networks and contains striate- and extrastriate areas like its primate counterparts. In this Perspective article, we provide an overview of the experimental and theoretical literature on global motion processing based on works in primates and mice. Lastly, we propose what types of experiments could illuminate what circuit mechanisms are governing cortical global visual motion processing. We propose that PDS cells in mouse visual cortex appear as the perfect arena for delineating and solving how individual sensory features extracted by neural circuits in peripheral brain areas are integrated to build our rich cohesive sensory experiences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rune Rasmussen
- The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience-DANDRITE, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience-DANDRITE, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Xu GZ, Cui LJ, Liu AL, Zhou W, Gong X, Zhong YM, Yang XL, Weng SJ. Transgene is specifically and functionally expressed in retinal inhibitory interneurons in the VGAT-ChR2-EYFP mouse. Neuroscience 2017; 363:107-119. [PMID: 28918256 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.006] [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: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Ectopic transgene expression in the retina has been reported in various transgenic mice, indicating the importance of characterizing retinal phenotypes. We examined transgene expression in the VGAT-ChR2-EYFP mouse retina by fluorescent immunohistochemistry and electrophysiology, with special emphasis on enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) localization in retinal neuronal subtypes identified by specific markers. Strong EYFP signals were detected in both the inner and outer plexiform layers. In addition, the ChR2-EYFP fusion protein was also expressed in somata of the great majority of inhibitory interneurons, including horizontal cells and GABAergic and glycinergic amacrine cells. However, a small population of amacrine cells residing in the ganglion cell layer were not labeled by EYFP, and a part of them were cholinergic ones. In contrast, no EYFP signal was detected in the somata of retinal excitatory neurons: photoreceptors, bipolar and ganglion cells, as well as Müller glial cells. When glutamatergic transmission was blocked, bright blue light stimulation elicited inward photocurrents from amacrine cells, as well as post-synaptic inhibitory currents from ganglion cells, suggesting a functional ChR2 expression. The VGAT-ChR2-EYFP mouse therefore could be a useful animal model for dissecting retinal microcircuits when targeted labeling and/or optogenetic manipulation of retinal inhibitory neurons are required.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Zhong Xu
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; School of Life Science and Technology, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
| | - Ling-Jie Cui
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ai-Lin Liu
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xue Gong
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong-Mei Zhong
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiong-Li Yang
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shi-Jun Weng
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S. Diamond
- Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3701
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Beier KT, Kim CK, Hoerbelt P, Hung LW, Heifets BD, DeLoach KE, Mosca TJ, Neuner S, Deisseroth K, Luo L, Malenka RC. Rabies screen reveals GPe control of cocaine-triggered plasticity. Nature 2017; 549:345-350. [PMID: 28902833 PMCID: PMC6069680 DOI: 10.1038/nature23888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Identification of neural circuit changes contributing to behavioral plasticity has routinely been conducted on candidates that were preselected based on past results. Here we present an unbiased method for identifying experience-triggered circuit-level changes in neuronal ensembles. Using rabies virus monosynaptic tracing we mapped cocaine-induced global input changes onto ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons. Cocaine increased rabies labeled inputs from the globus pallidus externus (GPe), a basal ganglia nucleus previously not known to participate in behavioral plasticity triggered by drugs of abuse. We demonstrated that cocaine increased GPe neuron activity, which accounted for the increase in GPe labeling. Inhibition of GPe activity revealed its vital role in two different forms of cocaine-triggered behavioral plasticity, at least in part via GPe-mediated disinhibition of VTA dopamine neuron activity. These results suggest that rabies-based unbiased screening of changes in input populations can identify previously unappreciated circuit elements that critically support behavioral adaptations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T Beier
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Christina K Kim
- Neurosciences Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Paul Hoerbelt
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Lin Wai Hung
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Boris D Heifets
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Katherine E DeLoach
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Timothy J Mosca
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Sophie Neuner
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Liqun Luo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Robert C Malenka
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Contributions of Rod and Cone Pathways to Retinal Direction Selectivity Through Development. J Neurosci 2017; 36:9683-95. [PMID: 27629718 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3824-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Direction selectivity is a robust computation across a broad stimulus space that is mediated by activity of both rod and cone photoreceptors through the ON and OFF pathways. However, rods, S-cones, and M-cones activate the ON and OFF circuits via distinct pathways and the relative contribution of each to direction selectivity is unknown. Using a variety of stimulation paradigms, pharmacological agents, and knockout mice that lack rod transduction, we found that inputs from the ON pathway were critical for strong direction-selective (DS) tuning in the OFF pathway. For UV light stimulation, the ON pathway inputs to the OFF pathway originated with rod signaling, whereas for visible stimulation, the ON pathway inputs to the OFF pathway originated with both rod and M-cone signaling. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings revealed that blocking the ON pathway reduced directional tuning in the OFF pathway via a reduction in null-side inhibition, which is provided by OFF starburst amacrine cells (SACs). Consistent with this, our recordings from OFF SACs confirmed that signals originating in the ON pathway contribute to their excitation. Finally, we observed that, for UV stimulation, ON contributions to OFF DS tuning matured earlier than direct signaling via the OFF pathway. These data indicate that the retina uses multiple strategies for computing DS responses across different colors and stages of development. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The retina uses parallel pathways to encode different features of the visual scene. In some cases, these distinct pathways converge on circuits that mediate a distinct computation. For example, rod and cone pathways enable direction-selective (DS) ganglion cells to encode motion over a wide range of light intensities. Here, we show that although direction selectivity is robust across light intensities, motion discrimination for OFF signals is dependent upon ON signaling. At eye opening, ON directional tuning is mature, whereas OFF DS tuning is significantly reduced due to a delayed maturation of S-cone to OFF cone bipolar signaling. These results provide evidence that the retina uses multiple strategies for computing DS responses across different stimulus conditions.
Collapse
|
49
|
Retinal Circuitry Balances Contrast Tuning of Excitation and Inhibition to Enable Reliable Computation of Direction Selectivity. J Neurosci 2017; 36:5861-76. [PMID: 27225774 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4013-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Feedforward (FF) inhibition is a common motif in many neural networks. Typically, excitatory inputs drive both principal neurons and interneurons; the interneurons then inhibit the principal neurons, thereby regulating the strength and timing of the FF signal. The interneurons introduce a likely nonlinear processing step that could distort the excitation/inhibition (E/I) ratio in the principal neuron, potentially degrading the reliability of computation in the circuit. In the retina, FF inhibition is an essential feature of the circuitry underlying direction selectivity (DS): glutamatergic bipolar cells (BCs) provide excitatory input to direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) and GABAergic starburst amacrine cells (SACs), and the SACs then provide FF inhibition onto DSGCs. Robust DS computation requires a consistent synaptic E/I ratio in the DSGC in various visual conditions. Here, we show in mouse retina that the E/I ratio is maintained in DSGCs over a wide stimulus contrast range due to compensatory mechanisms in the diverse population of presynaptic BCs. BC inputs to SACs exhibit higher contrast sensitivity, so that the subsequent nonlinear transformation in SACs reduces the contrast sensitivity of FF inhibition to match the sensitivity of direct excitatory inputs onto DSGCs. Measurements of light-evoked responses from individual BC synaptic terminals suggest that the distinct sensitivity of BC inputs reflects different contrast sensitivity between BC subtypes. Numerical simulations suggest that this network arrangement is crucial for reliable DS computation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Properly balanced excitation and inhibition are essential for many neuronal computations across brain regions. Feedforward inhibition circuitry, in which a common excitatory source drives both the principal cell and an interneuron, is a typical mechanism by which neural networks maintain this balance. Feedforward circuits may become imbalanced at low stimulation levels, however, if the excitatory drive is too weak to overcome the activation threshold in the interneuron. Here we reveal how excitation and inhibition remain balanced in direction selective ganglion cells in the mouse retina over a wide visual stimulus range.
Collapse
|
50
|
Dendro-dendritic cholinergic excitation controls dendritic spike initiation in retinal ganglion cells. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15683. [PMID: 28589928 PMCID: PMC5477517 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The retina processes visual images to compute features such as the direction of image motion. Starburst amacrine cells (SACs), axonless feed-forward interneurons, are essential components of the retinal direction-selective circuitry. Recent work has highlighted that SAC-mediated dendro-dendritic inhibition controls the action potential output of direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) by vetoing dendritic spike initiation. However, SACs co-release GABA and the excitatory neurotransmitter acetylcholine at dendritic sites. Here we use direct dendritic recordings to show that preferred direction light stimuli evoke SAC-mediated acetylcholine release, which powerfully controls the stimulus sensitivity, receptive field size and action potential output of ON-DSGCs by acting as an excitatory drive for the initiation of dendritic spikes. Consistent with this, paired recordings reveal that the activation of single ON-SACs drove dendritic spike generation, because of predominate cholinergic excitation received on the preferred side of ON-DSGCs. Thus, dendro-dendritic release of neurotransmitters from SACs bi-directionally gate dendritic spike initiation to control the directionally selective action potential output of retinal ganglion cells. Neural computations performed by the retinal microcircuit have been extensively studied. Here the authors report using dendritic recordings that the direction selective responses of retinal ganglion cells are controlled by dendro-dendritic cholinergic excitation from starburst amacrine cells.
Collapse
|