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Hadyniak SE, Kay JN. Neuroscience: The dynamic development of dendrites. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R854-R856. [PMID: 39317154 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Protocadherins are cell-surface proteins that endow developing neurons with the ability to distinguish self-contacts from non-self. This recognition is critical for dendrite patterning and neuronal function. New research demonstrates the cellular basis for dendrite self-avoidance following protocadherin-mediated self-recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Hadyniak
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jeremy N Kay
- Departments of Neurobiology, Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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2
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Li J, Choi J, Cheng X, Ma J, Pema S, Sanes JR, Mardon G, Frankfort BJ, Tran NM, Li Y, Chen R. Comprehensive single-cell atlas of the mouse retina. iScience 2024; 27:109916. [PMID: 38812536 PMCID: PMC11134544 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of cellular heterogeneity by characterizing cell types across tissues and species. While several mouse retinal scRNA-seq datasets exist, each dataset is either limited in cell numbers or focused on specific cell classes, thereby hindering comprehensive gene expression analysis across all retina types. To fill the gap, we generated the largest retinal scRNA-seq dataset to date, comprising approximately 190,000 single cells from C57BL/6J mouse retinas, enriched for rare population cells via antibody-based magnetic cell sorting. Integrating this dataset with public datasets, we constructed the Mouse Retina Cell Atlas (MRCA) for wild-type mice, encompassing over 330,000 cells, characterizing 12 major classes and 138 cell types. The MRCA consolidates existing knowledge, identifies new cell types, and is publicly accessible via CELLxGENE, UCSC Cell Browser, and the Broad Single Cell Portal, providing a user-friendly resource for the mouse retina research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jongsu Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xuesen Cheng
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Justin Ma
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shahil Pema
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joshua R. Sanes
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02130, USA
| | - Graeme Mardon
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin J. Frankfort
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nicholas M. Tran
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yumei Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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3
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DePiero VJ, Deng Z, Chen C, Savier EL, Chen H, Wei W, Cang J. Transformation of Motion Pattern Selectivity from Retina to Superior Colliculus. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1704232024. [PMID: 38569924 PMCID: PMC11097260 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1704-23.2024] [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: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a prominent and conserved visual center in all vertebrates. In mice, the most superficial lamina of the SC is enriched with neurons that are selective for the moving direction of visual stimuli. Here, we study how these direction selective neurons respond to complex motion patterns known as plaids, using two-photon calcium imaging in awake male and female mice. The plaid pattern consists of two superimposed sinusoidal gratings moving in different directions, giving an apparent pattern direction that lies between the directions of the two component gratings. Most direction selective neurons in the mouse SC respond robustly to the plaids and show a high selectivity for the moving direction of the plaid pattern but not of its components. Pattern motion selectivity is seen in both excitatory and inhibitory SC neurons and is especially prevalent in response to plaids with large cross angles between the two component gratings. However, retinal inputs to the SC are ambiguous in their selectivity to pattern versus component motion. Modeling suggests that pattern motion selectivity in the SC can arise from a nonlinear transformation of converging retinal inputs. In contrast, the prevalence of pattern motion selective neurons is not seen in the primary visual cortex (V1). These results demonstrate an interesting difference between the SC and V1 in motion processing and reveal the SC as an important site for encoding pattern motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor J DePiero
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Zixuan Deng
- Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Elise L Savier
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Hui Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
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4
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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.
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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
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5
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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.
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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.
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6
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Boff JM, Shrestha AP, Madireddy S, Viswaprakash N, Della Santina L, Vaithianathan T. The Interplay between Neurotransmitters and Calcium Dynamics in Retinal Synapses during Development, Health, and Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2226. [PMID: 38396913 PMCID: PMC10889697 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042226] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The intricate functionality of the vertebrate retina relies on the interplay between neurotransmitter activity and calcium (Ca2+) dynamics, offering important insights into developmental processes, physiological functioning, and disease progression. Neurotransmitters orchestrate cellular processes to shape the behavior of the retina under diverse circumstances. Despite research to elucidate the roles of individual neurotransmitters in the visual system, there remains a gap in our understanding of the holistic integration of their interplay with Ca2+ dynamics in the broader context of neuronal development, health, and disease. To address this gap, the present review explores the mechanisms used by the neurotransmitters glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, dopamine, and acetylcholine (ACh) and their interplay with Ca2+ dynamics. This conceptual outline is intended to inform and guide future research, underpinning novel therapeutic avenues for retinal-associated disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johane M Boff
- Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Abhishek P Shrestha
- Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Saivikram Madireddy
- College of Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Nilmini Viswaprakash
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | | | - Thirumalini Vaithianathan
- Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hamilton Eye Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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7
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Li Y, Yu S, Jia X, Qiu X, He J. Defining morphologically and genetically distinct GABAergic/cholinergic amacrine cell subtypes in the vertebrate retina. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002506. [PMID: 38363811 PMCID: PMC10914270 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
In mammals, retinal direction selectivity originates from GABAergic/cholinergic amacrine cells (ACs) specifically expressing the sox2 gene. However, the cellular diversity of GABAergic/cholinergic ACs of other vertebrate species remains largely unexplored. Here, we identified 2 morphologically and genetically distinct GABAergic/cholinergic AC types in zebrafish, a previously undescribed bhlhe22+ type and a mammalian counterpart sox2+ type. Notably, while sole sox2 disruption removed sox2+ type, the codisruption of bhlhe22 and bhlhe23 was required to remove bhlhe22+ type. Also, both types significantly differed in dendritic arbors, lamination, and soma position. Furthermore, in vivo two-photon calcium imaging and the behavior assay suggested the direction selectivity of both AC types. Nevertheless, the 2 types showed preferential responses to moving bars of different sizes. Thus, our findings provide new cellular diversity and functional characteristics of GABAergic/cholinergic ACs in the vertebrate retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuguang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinling Jia
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoying Qiu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie He
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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8
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Li J, Choi J, Cheng X, Ma J, Pema S, Sanes JR, Mardon G, Frankfort BJ, Tran NM, Li Y, Chen R. Comprehensive single-cell atlas of the mouse retina. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.24.577060. [PMID: 38328114 PMCID: PMC10849744 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.24.577060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has advanced our understanding of cellular heterogeneity at the single-cell resolution by classifying and characterizing cell types in multiple tissues and species. While several mouse retinal scRNA-seq reference datasets have been published, each dataset either has a relatively small number of cells or is focused on specific cell classes, and thus is suboptimal for assessing gene expression patterns across all retina types at the same time. To establish a unified and comprehensive reference for the mouse retina, we first generated the largest retinal scRNA-seq dataset to date, comprising approximately 190,000 single cells from C57BL/6J mouse whole retinas. This dataset was generated through the targeted enrichment of rare population cells via antibody-based magnetic cell sorting. By integrating this new dataset with public datasets, we conducted an integrated analysis to construct the Mouse Retina Cell Atlas (MRCA) for wild-type mice, which encompasses over 330,000 single cells. The MRCA characterizes 12 major classes and 138 cell types. It captured consensus cell type characterization from public datasets and identified additional new cell types. To facilitate the public use of the MRCA, we have deposited it in CELLxGENE, UCSC Cell Browser, and the Broad Single Cell Portal for visualization and gene expression exploration. The comprehensive MRCA serves as an easy-to-use, one-stop data resource for the mouse retina communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Jongsu Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Xuesen Cheng
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Justin Ma
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Shahil Pema
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Joshua R. Sanes
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02130, USA
| | - Graeme Mardon
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin J. Frankfort
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Nicholas M. Tran
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Yumei Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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9
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Matsumoto A, Yonehara K. Emerging computational motifs: Lessons from the retina. Neurosci Res 2023; 196:11-22. [PMID: 37352934 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2023.06.003] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The retinal neuronal circuit is the first stage of visual processing in the central nervous system. The efforts of scientists over the last few decades indicate that the retina is not merely an array of photosensitive cells, but also a processor that performs various computations. Within a thickness of only ∼200 µm, the retina consists of diverse forms of neuronal circuits, each of which encodes different visual features. Since the discovery of direction-selective cells by Horace Barlow and Richard Hill, the mechanisms that generate direction selectivity in the retina have remained a fascinating research topic. This review provides an overview of recent advances in our understanding of direction-selectivity circuits. Beyond the conventional wisdom of direction selectivity, emerging findings indicate that the retina utilizes complicated and sophisticated mechanisms in which excitatory and inhibitory pathways are involved in the efficient encoding of motion information. As will become evident, the discovery of computational motifs in the retina facilitates an understanding of how sensory systems establish feature selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Matsumoto
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan; Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Mishima, Japan.
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan; Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Mishima, Japan
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10
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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.
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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.
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11
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Chen J, Gish CM, Fransen JW, Salazar-Gatzimas E, Clark DA, Borghuis BG. Direct comparison reveals algorithmic similarities in fly and mouse visual motion detection. iScience 2023; 26:107928. [PMID: 37810236 PMCID: PMC10550730 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolution has equipped vertebrates and invertebrates with neural circuits that selectively encode visual motion. While similarities in the computations performed by these circuits in mouse and fruit fly have been noted, direct experimental comparisons have been lacking. Because molecular mechanisms and neuronal morphology in the two species are distinct, we directly compared motion encoding in these two species at the algorithmic level, using matched stimuli and focusing on a pair of analogous neurons, the mouse ON starburst amacrine cell (ON SAC) and Drosophila T4 neurons. We find that the cells share similar spatiotemporal receptive field structures, sensitivity to spatiotemporal correlations, and tuning to sinusoidal drifting gratings, but differ in their responses to apparent motion stimuli. Both neuron types showed a response to summed sinusoids that deviates from models for motion processing in these cells, underscoring the similarities in their processing and identifying response features that remain to be explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyue Chen
- Interdepartmental Neurosciences Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Caitlin M Gish
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - James W Fransen
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | | | - Damon A Clark
- Interdepartmental Neurosciences Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Bart G Borghuis
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
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12
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Jo A, Deniz S, Xu J, Duvoisin RM, DeVries SH, Zhu Y. A sign-inverted receptive field of inhibitory interneurons provides a pathway for ON-OFF interactions in the retina. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5937. [PMID: 37741839 PMCID: PMC10517963 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41638-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A fundamental organizing plan of the retina is that visual information is divided into ON and OFF streams that are processed in separate layers. This functional dichotomy originates in the ON and OFF bipolar cells, which then make excitatory glutamatergic synapses onto amacrine and ganglion cells in the inner plexiform layer. We have identified an amacrine cell (AC), the sign-inverting (SI) AC, that challenges this fundamental plan. The glycinergic, ON-stratifying SI-AC has OFF light responses. In opposition to the classical wiring diagrams, it receives inhibitory inputs from glutamatergic ON bipolar cells at mGluR8 synapses, and excitatory inputs from an OFF wide-field AC at electrical synapses. This "inhibitory ON center - excitatory OFF surround" receptive-field of the SI-AC allows it to use monostratified dendrites to conduct crossover inhibition and push-pull activation to enhance light detection by ACs and RGCs in the dark and feature discrimination in the light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Jo
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Sercan Deniz
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Robert M Duvoisin
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Steven H DeVries
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
| | - Yongling Zhu
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
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13
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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.
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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
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14
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Maheswaranathan N, McIntosh LT, Tanaka H, Grant S, Kastner DB, Melander JB, Nayebi A, Brezovec LE, Wang JH, Ganguli S, Baccus SA. Interpreting the retinal neural code for natural scenes: From computations to neurons. Neuron 2023; 111:2742-2755.e4. [PMID: 37451264 PMCID: PMC10680974 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the circuit mechanisms of the visual code for natural scenes is a central goal of sensory neuroscience. We show that a three-layer network model predicts retinal natural scene responses with an accuracy nearing experimental limits. The model's internal structure is interpretable, as interneurons recorded separately and not modeled directly are highly correlated with model interneurons. Models fitted only to natural scenes reproduce a diverse set of phenomena related to motion encoding, adaptation, and predictive coding, establishing their ethological relevance to natural visual computation. A new approach decomposes the computations of model ganglion cells into the contributions of model interneurons, allowing automatic generation of new hypotheses for how interneurons with different spatiotemporal responses are combined to generate retinal computations, including predictive phenomena currently lacking an explanation. Our results demonstrate a unified and general approach to study the circuit mechanisms of ethological retinal computations under natural visual scenes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lane T McIntosh
- Neuroscience Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hidenori Tanaka
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Physics & Informatics Laboratories, NTT Research, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA; Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Satchel Grant
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David B Kastner
- Neuroscience Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Joshua B Melander
- Neuroscience Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Aran Nayebi
- Neuroscience Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Luke E Brezovec
- Neuroscience Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Surya Ganguli
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Stephen A Baccus
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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15
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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.
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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
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16
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Ichinose T, Hellmer CB, Bohl JM. Presynaptic depolarization differentially regulates dual neurotransmitter release from starburst amacrine cells in the mouse retina. FRONTIERS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY 2023; 3:1225824. [PMID: 38444728 PMCID: PMC10914334 DOI: 10.3389/fopht.2023.1225824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The retina is comprised of diverse neural networks, signaling from photoreceptors to ganglion cells to encode images. The synaptic connections between these retinal neurons are crucial points for information transfer; however, the input-output relations of many synapses are understudied. Starburst amacrine cells in the retina are known to contribute to retinal motion detection circuits, providing a unique window for understanding neural computations. We examined the dual transmitter release of GABA and acetylcholine from starburst amacrine cells by optogenetic activation of these cells, and conducted patch clamp recordings from postsynaptic ganglion cells to record excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs and IPSCs). As starburst amacrine cells exhibit distinct kinetics in response to objects moving in a preferred or null direction, we mimicked their depolarization kinetics using optogenetic stimuli by varying slopes of the rising phase. The amplitudes of EPSCs and IPSCs in postsynaptic ganglion cells were reduced as the stimulus rising speed was prolonged. However, the sensitivity of postsynaptic currents to the stimulus slope differed. EPSC amplitudes were consistently reduced as the steepness of the rising phase fell. By contrast, IPSCs were less sensitive to the slope of the stimulus rise phase and maintained their amplitudes until the slope became shallow. These results indicate that distinct synaptic release mechanisms contribute to acetylcholine and GABA release from starburst amacrine cells, which could contribute to the ganglion cells' direction selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomi Ichinose
- Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | | | - Jeremy M. Bohl
- Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
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17
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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.
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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.
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18
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Choi J, Li J, Ferdous S, Liang Q, Moffitt JR, Chen R. Spatial organization of the mouse retina at single cell resolution by MERFISH. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4929. [PMID: 37582959 PMCID: PMC10427710 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40674-3] [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: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The visual signal processing in the retina requires the precise organization of diverse neuronal types working in concert. While single-cell omics studies have identified more than 120 different neuronal subtypes in the mouse retina, little is known about their spatial organization. Here, we generated the single-cell spatial atlas of the mouse retina using multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH). We profiled over 390,000 cells and identified all major cell types and nearly all subtypes through the integration with reference single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Our spatial atlas allowed simultaneous examination of nearly all cell subtypes in the retina, revealing 8 previously unknown displaced amacrine cell subtypes and establishing the connection between the molecular classification of many cell subtypes and their spatial arrangement. Furthermore, we identified spatially dependent differential gene expression between subtypes, suggesting the possibility of functional tuning of neuronal types based on location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongsu Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Salma Ferdous
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Qingnan Liang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Moffitt
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital; Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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19
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Peng YR. Cell-type specification in the retina: Recent discoveries from transcriptomic approaches. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 81:102752. [PMID: 37499619 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the formation of the complex nervous system hinges on decoding the mechanism that specifies a vast array of neuronal types, each endowed with a unique morphology, physiology, and connectivity. As a pivotal step towards addressing this problem, seminal work has been devoted to characterizing distinct neuronal types. In recent years, high-throughput, single-cell transcriptomic methods have enabled a rapid inventory of cell types in various regions of the nervous system, with the retina exhibiting complete molecular characterization across many vertebrate species. This invaluable resource has furnished a fresh perspective for investigating the molecular principles of cell-type specification, thereby advancing our understanding of retinal development. Accordingly, this review focuses on the most recent transcriptomic characterizations of retinal cells, with a particular focus on amacrine cells and retinal ganglion cells. These investigations have unearthed new insights into their cell-type specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Rong Peng
- Department of Ophthalmology and Stein Eye Institute, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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20
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Sánchez-Sáez X, Ortuño-Lizarán I, Sánchez-Castillo C, Lax P, Cuenca N. Starburst amacrine cells, involved in visual motion perception, loose their synaptic input from dopaminergic amacrine cells and degenerate in Parkinson's disease patients. Transl Neurodegener 2023; 12:17. [PMID: 37013599 PMCID: PMC10071607 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-023-00348-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The main clinical symptoms characteristic of Parkinson's disease (PD) are bradykinesia, tremor, and other motor deficits. However, non-motor symptoms, such as visual disturbances, can be identified at early stages of the disease. One of these symptoms is the impairment of visual motion perception. Hence, we sought to determine if the starburst amacrine cells, which are the main cellular type involved in motion direction selectivity, are degenerated in PD and if the dopaminergic system is related to this degeneration. METHODS Human eyes from control (n = 10) and PD (n = 9) donors were available for this study. Using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, we quantified starburst amacrine cell density (choline acetyltransferase [ChAT]-positive cells) and the relationship between these cells and dopaminergic amacrine cells (tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells and vesicular monoamine transporter-2-positive presynapses) in cross-sections and wholemount retinas. RESULTS First, we found two different ChAT amacrine populations in the human retina that presented different ChAT immunoreactivity intensity and different expression of calcium-binding proteins. Both populations are affected in PD and their density is reduced compared to controls. Also, we report, for the first time, synaptic contacts between dopaminergic amacrine cells and ChAT-positive cells in the human retina. We found that, in PD retinas, there is a reduction of the dopaminergic synaptic contacts into ChAT cells. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, this work indicates degeneration of starburst amacrine cells in PD related to dopaminergic degeneration and that dopaminergic amacrine cells could modulate the function of starburst amacrine cells. Since motion perception circuitries are affected in PD, their assessment using visual tests could provide new insights into the diagnosis of PD.
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Grants
- FEDER-PID 2019-106230RB-I00 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- FEDER-PID 2019-106230RB-I00 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- FPU16/04114 Ministerio de Universidades
- RETICS-FEDER RD16/0008/0016 Instituto de Salud Carlos III
- IDIFEDER/2017/064 Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital, Generalitat Valenciana
- PROMETEO/2021/024 Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital, Generalitat Valenciana
- PROMETEO/2021/024 Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital, Generalitat Valenciana
- APOSTD/2020/245 Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital, Generalitat Valenciana
- 2019/00286/001 Es Retina Asturias
- 2019/00286/001 Es Retina Asturias
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Sánchez-Sáez
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
| | - Isabel Ortuño-Lizarán
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
| | - Carla Sánchez-Castillo
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
| | - Pedro Lax
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
- Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain
| | - Nicolás Cuenca
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain.
- Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain.
- Ramón Margalef Institute, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain.
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21
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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.
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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
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22
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Hanson L, Ravi-Chander P, Berson D, Awatramani GB. Hierarchical retinal computations rely on hybrid chemical-electrical signaling. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112030. [PMID: 36696265 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Bipolar cells (BCs) are integral to the retinal circuits that extract diverse features from the visual environment. They bridge photoreceptors to ganglion cells, the source of retinal output. Understanding how such circuits encode visual features requires an accounting of the mechanisms that control glutamate release from bipolar cell axons. Here, we demonstrate orientation selectivity in a specific genetically identifiable type of mouse bipolar cell-type 5A (BC5A). Their synaptic terminals respond best when stimulated with vertical bars that are far larger than their dendritic fields. We provide evidence that this selectivity involves enhanced excitation for vertical stimuli that requires gap junctional coupling through connexin36. We also show that this orientation selectivity is detectable postsynaptically in direction-selective ganglion cells, which were not previously thought to be selective for orientation. Together, these results demonstrate how multiple features are extracted by a single hierarchical network, engaging distinct electrical and chemical synaptic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hanson
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3N5, Canada
| | | | - David Berson
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Gautam B Awatramani
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3N5, Canada.
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23
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Roh H, Otgondemberel Y, Eom J, Kim D, Im M. Electrically-evoked responses for retinal prostheses are differentially altered depending on ganglion cell types in outer retinal neurodegeneration caused by Crb1 gene mutation. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1115703. [PMID: 36814867 PMCID: PMC9939843 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1115703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Microelectronic prostheses for artificial vision stimulate neurons surviving outer retinal neurodegeneration such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Yet, the quality of prosthetic vision substantially varies across subjects, maybe due to different levels of retinal degeneration and/or distinct genotypes. Although the RP genotypes are remarkably diverse, prosthetic studies have primarily used retinal degeneration (rd) 1 and 10 mice, which both have Pde6b gene mutation. Here, we report the electric responses arising in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of the rd8 mouse model which has Crb1 mutation. Methods We first investigated age-dependent histological changes of wild-type (wt), rd8, and rd10 mice retinas by H&E staining. Then, we used cell-attached patch clamping to record spiking responses of ON, OFF and direction selective (DS) types of RGCs to a 4-ms-long electric pulse. The electric responses of rd8 RGCs were analyzed in comparison with those of wt RGCs in terms of individual RGC spiking patterns, populational characteristics, and spiking consistency across trials. Results In the histological examination, the rd8 mice showed partial retinal foldings, but the outer nuclear layer thicknesses remained comparable to those of the wt mice, indicating the early-stage of RP. Although spiking patterns of each RGC type seemed similar to those of the wt retinas, correlation levels between electric vs. light response features were different across the two mouse models. For example, in comparisons between light vs. electric response magnitudes, ON/OFF RGCs of the rd8 mice showed the same/opposite correlation polarity with those of wt mice, respectively. Also, the electric response spike counts of DS RGCs in the rd8 retinas showed a positive correlation with their direction selectivity indices (r = 0.40), while those of the wt retinas were negatively correlated (r = -0.90). Lastly, the spiking timing consistencies of late responses were largely decreased in both ON and OFF RGCs in the rd8 than the wt retinas, whereas no significant difference was found across DS RGCs of the two models. Conclusion Our results indicate the electric response features are altered depending on RGC types even from the early-stage RP caused by Crb1 mutation. Given the various degeneration patterns depending on mutation genes, our study suggests the importance of both genotype- and RGC type-dependent analyses for retinal prosthetic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonhee Roh
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Jeonghyeon Eom
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- School of Electrical Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Daniel Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Maesoon Im
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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24
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Mammalian octopus cells are direction selective to frequency sweeps by excitatory synaptic sequence detection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203748119. [PMID: 36279465 PMCID: PMC9636937 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203748119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Octopus cells are remarkable projection neurons of the mammalian cochlear nucleus, with extremely fast membranes and wide-frequency tuning. They are considered prime examples of coincidence detectors but are poorly characterized in vivo. We discover that octopus cells are selective to frequency sweep direction, a feature that is absent in their auditory nerve inputs. In vivo intracellular recordings reveal that direction selectivity does not derive from across-frequency coincidence detection but hinges on the amplitudes and activation sequence of auditory nerve inputs tuned to clusters of hot spot frequencies. A simple biophysical octopus cell model excited with real nerve spike trains recreates direction selectivity through interaction of intrinsic membrane conductances with the activation sequence of clustered excitatory inputs. We conclude that octopus cells are sequence detectors, sensitive to temporal patterns across cochlear frequency channels. The detection of sequences rather than coincidences is a much simpler but powerful operation to extract temporal information.
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25
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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.
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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.
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26
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Li Q. Geometric basis of action potential of skeletal muscle cells and neurons. Open Life Sci 2022; 17:1191-1199. [PMID: 36185399 PMCID: PMC9482420 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2022-0488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although we know something about single-cell neuromuscular junctions, it is still unclear how multiple skeletal muscle cells coordinate to complete intricate spatial curve movement. Here, we hypothesize that skeletal muscle cell populations with action potentials are aligned according to curved manifolds in space (a curved shape in space). When a specific motor nerve impulse is transmitted, the skeletal muscle also moves according to the corresponding shape (manifolds). The action potential of motor nerve fibers has the characteristics of a time curve manifold, and this time-manifold curve of motor nerve fibers comes from the visual cortex in which spatial geometric manifolds are formed within the synaptic connection of neurons. This spatial geometric manifold of the synaptic connection of neurons originates from spatial geometric manifolds outside nature that are transmitted to the brain through the cone cells and ganglion cells of the retina. The essence of life is that life is an object that can move autonomously, and the essence of life's autonomous movement is the movement of proteins. Theoretically, because of the infinite diversity of geometric manifold shapes in nature, the arrangement and combination of 20 amino acids should have infinite diversity, and the geometric manifold formed by the protein three-dimensional spatial structure should also have infinite diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Li
- Department of Function, ShiJiaZhuang Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital, No. 233, ZhongShan West Road, ShiJiaZhuang, HeBei Province 050051, China
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27
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Huang W, Xu Q, Su J, Tang L, Hao ZZ, Xu C, Liu R, Shen Y, Sang X, Xu N, Tie X, Miao Z, Liu X, Xu Y, Liu F, Liu Y, Liu S. Linking transcriptomes with morphological and functional phenotypes in mammalian retinal ganglion cells. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111322. [PMID: 36103830 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111322] [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: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the brain's gateway to the visual world. They can be classified into different types on the basis of their electrophysiological, transcriptomic, or morphological characteristics. Here, we characterize the transcriptomic, morphological, and functional features of 472 high-quality RGCs using Patch sequencing (Patch-seq), providing functional and morphological annotation of many transcriptomic-defined cell types of a previously established RGC atlas. We show a convergence of different modalities in defining the RGC identity and reveal the degree of correspondence for well-characterized cell types across multimodal data. Moreover, we complement some RGC types with detailed morphological and functional properties. We also identify differentially expressed genes among ON, OFF, and ON-OFF RGCs such as Vat1l, Slitrk6, and Lmo7, providing candidate marker genes for functional studies. Our research suggests that the molecularly distinct clusters may also differ in their roles of encoding visual information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanjing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Jing Su
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Lei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Zhao-Zhe Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Chuan Xu
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Ruifeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Yuhui Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Xuan Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Nana Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Xiaoxiu Tie
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Zhichao Miao
- European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Xialin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Ying Xu
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Jinan University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China.
| | - Yizhi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China; Research Unit of Ocular Development and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Sheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou 510060, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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28
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Scalabrino ML, Thapa M, Chew LA, Zhang E, Xu J, Sampath AP, Chen J, Field GD. Robust cone-mediated signaling persists late into rod photoreceptor degeneration. eLife 2022; 11:e80271. [PMID: 36040015 PMCID: PMC9560159 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Rod photoreceptor degeneration causes deterioration in the morphology and physiology of cone photoreceptors along with changes in retinal circuits. These changes could diminish visual signaling at cone-mediated light levels, thereby limiting the efficacy of treatments such as gene therapy for rescuing normal, cone-mediated vision. However, the impact of progressive rod death on cone-mediated signaling remains unclear. To investigate the fidelity of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) signaling throughout disease progression, we used a mouse model of rod degeneration (Cngb1neo/neo). Despite clear deterioration of cone morphology with rod death, cone-mediated signaling among RGCs remained surprisingly robust: spatiotemporal receptive fields changed little and the mutual information between stimuli and spiking responses was relatively constant. This relative stability held until nearly all rods had died and cones had completely lost well-formed outer segments. Interestingly, RGC information rates were higher and more stable for natural movies than checkerboard noise as degeneration progressed. The main change in RGC responses with photoreceptor degeneration was a decrease in response gain. These results suggest that gene therapies for rod degenerative diseases are likely to prolong cone-mediated vision even if there are changes to cone morphology and density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda L Scalabrino
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
| | - Mishek Thapa
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
| | - Lindsey A Chew
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
| | - Esther Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
| | - Jason Xu
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Alapakkam P Sampath
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Jeannie Chen
- Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Greg D Field
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
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29
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Jiang Q, Litvina EY, Acarón Ledesma H, Shu G, Sonoda T, Wei W, Chen C. Functional convergence of on-off direction-selective ganglion cells in the visual thalamus. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3110-3120.e6. [PMID: 35793680 PMCID: PMC9438454 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In the mouse visual system, multiple types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) each encode distinct features of the visual space. A clear understanding of how this information is parsed in their downstream target, the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), remains elusive. Here, we characterized retinogeniculate connectivity in Cart-IRES2-Cre-D and BD-CreER2 mice, which labels subsets of on-off direction-selective ganglion cells (ooDSGCs) tuned to the vertical directions and to only ventral motion, respectively. Our immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, and optogenetic experiments reveal that only a small fraction (<15%) of thalamocortical (TC) neurons in the dLGN receives primary retinal drive from these subtypes of ooDSGCs. The majority of the functionally identifiable ooDSGC inputs in the dLGN are weak and converge together with inputs from other RGC types. Yet our modeling indicates that this mixing is not random: BD-CreER+ ooDSGC inputs converge less frequently with ooDSGCs tuned to the opposite direction than with non-CART-Cre+ RGC types. Taken together, these results indicate that convergence of distinct information lines in dLGN follows specific rules of organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiufen Jiang
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Elizabeth Y Litvina
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 6001 Executive Boulevard Suite 3309, Bethesda, MD 20824, USA
| | - Héctor Acarón Ledesma
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Guanhua Shu
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Takuma Sonoda
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, 947 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Chinfei Chen
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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30
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Wienbar S, Schwartz GW. Differences in spike generation instead of synaptic inputs determine the feature selectivity of two retinal cell types. Neuron 2022; 110:2110-2123.e4. [PMID: 35508174 PMCID: PMC9262831 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the spiking projection neurons of the eye that encode different features of the visual environment. The circuits providing synaptic input to different RGC types to drive feature selectivity have been studied extensively, but there has been less research aimed at understanding the intrinsic properties and how they impact feature selectivity. We introduce an RGC type in the mouse, the Bursty Suppressed-by-Contrast (bSbC) RGC, and compared it to the OFF sustained alpha (OFFsA). Differences in their contrast response functions arose from differences not in synaptic inputs but in their intrinsic properties. Spike generation was the key intrinsic property behind this functional difference; the bSbC RGC undergoes depolarization block while the OFFsA RGC maintains a high spike rate. Our results demonstrate that differences in intrinsic properties allow these two RGC types to detect and relay distinct features of an identical visual stimulus to the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Wienbar
- Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Gregory William Schwartz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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31
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Brombas A, Zhou X, Williams SR. Light-evoked dendritic spikes in sustained but not transient rabbit retinal ganglion cells. Neuron 2022; 110:2802-2814.e3. [PMID: 35803269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic computations have a central role in neuronal function, but it is unknown how cell-class heterogeneity of dendritic electrical excitability shapes physiologically engaged neuronal and circuit computations. To address this, we examined dendritic integration in closely related classes of retinal ganglion cells (GCs) using simultaneous somato-dendritic electrical recording techniques in a functionally intact circuit. Simultaneous recordings revealed sustained OFF-GCs generated powerful dendritic spikes in response to visual input that drove action potential firing. In contrast, the dendrites of transient OFF-GCs were passive and did not generate dendritic spikes. Dendritic spike generation allowed sustained, but not transient, OFF-GCs to signal into action potential output the local motion of visual stimuli to produce a continuous wave of action potential firing in adjacent cells as images moved across the retina. Conversely, this representation was highly fragmented in transient OFF-GCs. Thus, a heterogeneity of dendritic excitability defines the computations executed by classes of GCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Brombas
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Xiangyu Zhou
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Stephen R Williams
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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32
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Summers MT, Feller MB. Distinct inhibitory pathways control velocity and directional tuning in the mouse retina. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2130-2143.e3. [PMID: 35395192 PMCID: PMC9133153 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The sensory periphery is responsible for detecting ethologically relevant features of the external world, using compact, predominantly feedforward circuits. Visual motion is a particularly prevalent sensory feature, the presence of which can be a signal to enact diverse behaviors ranging from gaze stabilization reflexes to predator avoidance or prey capture. To understand how the retina constructs the distinct neural representations required for these behaviors, we investigated two circuits responsible for encoding different aspects of image motion: ON and ON-OFF direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs). Using a combination of two-photon targeted whole-cell electrophysiology, pharmacology, and conditional knockout mice, we show that distinct inhibitory pathways independently control tuning for motion velocity and motion direction in these two cell types. We further employ dynamic clamp and numerical modeling techniques to show that asymmetric inhibition provides a velocity-invariant mechanism of directional tuning, despite the strong velocity dependence of classical models of direction selectivity. We therefore demonstrate that invariant representations of motion features by inhibitory interneurons act as computational building blocks to construct distinct, behaviorally relevant signals at the earliest stages of the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew T Summers
- 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.
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33
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Kim YJ, Peterson BB, Crook JD, Joo HR, Wu J, Puller C, Robinson FR, Gamlin PD, Yau KW, Viana F, Troy JB, Smith RG, Packer OS, Detwiler PB, Dacey DM. Origins of direction selectivity in the primate retina. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2862. [PMID: 35606344 PMCID: PMC9126974 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30405-5] [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: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
From mouse to primate, there is a striking discontinuity in our current understanding of the neural coding of motion direction. In non-primate mammals, directionally selective cell types and circuits are a signature feature of the retina, situated at the earliest stage of the visual process. In primates, by contrast, direction selectivity is a hallmark of motion processing areas in visual cortex, but has not been found in the retina, despite significant effort. Here we combined functional recordings of light-evoked responses and connectomic reconstruction to identify diverse direction-selective cell types in the macaque monkey retina with distinctive physiological properties and synaptic motifs. This circuitry includes an ON-OFF ganglion cell type, a spiking, ON-OFF polyaxonal amacrine cell and the starburst amacrine cell, all of which show direction selectivity. Moreover, we discovered that macaque starburst cells possess a strong, non-GABAergic, antagonistic surround mediated by input from excitatory bipolar cells that is critical for the generation of radial motion sensitivity in these cells. Our findings open a door to investigation of a precortical circuitry that computes motion direction in the primate visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeon Jin Kim
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Beth B Peterson
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Joanna D Crook
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Hannah R Joo
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Jiajia Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Christian Puller
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Farrel R Robinson
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Paul D Gamlin
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294-4390, USA
| | - King-Wai Yau
- Departments of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205-2185, USA
| | - Felix Viana
- Institute of Neuroscience, UMH-CSIC, San Juan de Alicante, 03550, Spain
| | - John B Troy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Robert G Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Orin S Packer
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Peter B Detwiler
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Dennis M Dacey
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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34
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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.
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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.
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35
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A novel motion direction detection mechanism based on dendritic computation of direction-selective ganglion cells. Knowl Based Syst 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.knosys.2022.108205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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36
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Nasir-Ahmad S, Vanstone KA, Novelli M, Lee SCS, Do MTH, Martin PR, Grünert U. Satb1 expression in retinal ganglion cells of marmosets, macaques, and humans. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:923-940. [PMID: 34622958 PMCID: PMC8831458 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing have enabled the molecular distinction of ganglion cell populations in mammalian retinas. Here we used antibodies against the transcription factor special AT-rich binding protein 1 (Satb1, a protein which is expressed by on-off direction-selective ganglion cells in mouse retina) to study Satb1 expression in the retina of marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and humans. In all species, Satb1 was exclusively expressed in retinal ganglion cells. The Satb1 cells made up ∼2% of the ganglion cell population in the central retina of all species, rising to a maximum ∼7% in peripheral marmoset retina. Intracellular injections in marmoset and macaque retinas revealed that most Satb1 expressing ganglion cells are widefield ganglion cells. In marmoset, Satb1 cells have a densely branching dendritic tree and include broad and narrow thorny, recursive bistratified, and parasol cells, all of which show some costratification with the outer or inner cholinergic amacrine cells. The recursive bistratified cells showed the strongest costratification but did not show extensive cofasciculation as reported for on-off direction-selective ganglion cells in rabbit and rodent retinas. In macaque, Satb1 was not expressed in recursive bistratified cells, but in large sparsely branching cells. Our findings further support the idea that the expression of transcription factors in retinal ganglion cells is not conserved across Old World (human and macaque) and New World (marmoset) primates and provides a further step to link a molecular marker with specific cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subha Nasir-Ahmad
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, and Discipline of Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Sydney Node, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kurt A Vanstone
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, and Discipline of Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mario Novelli
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, and Discipline of Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sammy C S Lee
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, and Discipline of Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Sydney Node, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael Tri H Do
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paul R Martin
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, and Discipline of Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Sydney Node, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ulrike Grünert
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, and Discipline of Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Sydney Node, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Zhang X, Lee H, Zhang Y, Walmsley TS, Li D, Levine E, Xu YQ. Probing Light-Stimulated Activities in the Retina via Transparent Graphene Electrodes. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:305-312. [PMID: 35034456 PMCID: PMC10505038 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c01091] [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: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Graphene has triggered tremendous research due to its superior properties. In particular, the intrinsic high light transmission illustrates the unique advantage in neural biosensing. Here, we combine perforated flexible graphene electrodes with microfluidic platforms to explore real-time extracellular electrical activities of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Under light stimulation, the transparent graphene electrodes have demonstrated the capability of recording the electrical activities of stimulated RGCs in direct contact. Different types of RGCs have shown three distinct light induced patterns, ON, OFF, and ON-OFF, which are primarily operated by cone photoreceptors. Moreover, the observed spiking waveforms can be divided into two groups: the biphasic waveform usually occurs at contacts with soma, while the triphasic waveform is likely related to the axon. Under high K+ stimulation, the graphene electrodes exhibit higher electrical sensitivity than gold counterparts with an average 2.5-fold enhancement in spiking amplitude. Furthermore, a strong response has been observed with the firing rate first increasing and then ceasing, which could be due to the potassium-induced neural depolarization. These results show that graphene electrodes can be a promising candidate in the electrophysiology studies of retina and offer a route to engineering future two-dimensional materials-based biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaosi Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Hannah Lee
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Yuchen Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Thayer S. Walmsley
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Deyu Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Edward Levine
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Ya-Qiong Xu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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Ruff T, Peters C, Matsumoto A, Ihle SJ, Morales PA, Gaitanos L, Yonehara K, Del Toro D, Klein R. FLRT3 Marks Direction-Selective Retinal Ganglion Cells That Project to the Medial Terminal Nucleus. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:790466. [PMID: 34955746 PMCID: PMC8696037 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.790466] [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: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian retina extracts a multitude of diverse features from the visual scene such as color, contrast, and direction of motion. These features are transmitted separately to the brain by more than 40 different retinal ganglion cell (RGC) subtypes. However, so far only a few genetic markers exist to fully characterize the different RGC subtypes. Here, we present a novel genetic Flrt3-CreERT2 knock-in mouse that labels a small subpopulation of RGCs. Using single-cell injection of fluorescent dyes in Flrt3 positive RGCs, we distinguished four morphological RGC subtypes. Anterograde tracings using a fluorescent Cre-dependent Adeno-associated virus (AAV) revealed that a subgroup of Flrt3 positive RGCs specifically project to the medial terminal nucleus (MTN), which is part of the accessory optic system (AOS) and is essential in driving reflex eye movements for retinal image stabilization. Functional characterization using ex vivo patch-clamp recordings showed that the MTN-projecting Flrt3 RGCs preferentially respond to downward motion in an ON-fashion. These neurons distribute in a regular pattern and most of them are bistratified at the level of the ON and OFF bands of cholinergic starburst amacrine cells where they express the known ON-OFF direction-selective RGC marker CART. Together, our results indicate that MTN-projecting Flrt3 RGCs represent a new functionally homogeneous AOS projecting direction-selective RGC subpopulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Ruff
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Peters
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Akihiro Matsumoto
- Department of Biomedicine, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Stephan J Ihle
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pilar Alcalá Morales
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Louise Gaitanos
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Department of Biomedicine, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Daniel Del Toro
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rüdiger Klein
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
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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.
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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
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40
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Ptito M, Bleau M, Bouskila J. The Retina: A Window into the Brain. Cells 2021; 10:cells10123269. [PMID: 34943777 PMCID: PMC8699497 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Ptito
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1P1, Canada; (M.B.); (J.B.)
- Department of Neuroscience, Copenhagen University, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Correspondence:
| | - Maxime Bleau
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1P1, Canada; (M.B.); (J.B.)
| | - Joseph Bouskila
- School of Optometry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1P1, Canada; (M.B.); (J.B.)
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41
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Otgondemberel Y, Roh H, Fried SI, Im M. Spiking Characteristics of Network-Mediated Responses Arising in Direction-Selective Ganglion Cells of Rabbit and Mouse Retinas to Electric Stimulation for Retinal Prostheses. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2021; 29:2445-2455. [PMID: 34784280 PMCID: PMC8654582 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2021.3128878] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
To restore the sight of individuals blinded by outer retinal degeneration, numerous retinal prostheses have been developed. However, the performance of those implants is still hampered by some factors including the lack of comprehensive understanding of the electrically-evoked responses arising in various retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types. In this study, we characterized the electrically-evoked network-mediated responses (hereafter referred to as electric responses) of ON-OFF direction-selective (DS) RGCs in rabbit and mouse retinas for the first time. Interestingly, both species in common demonstrated strong negative correlations between spike counts of electric responses and direction selective indices (DSIs), suggesting electric stimulation activates inhibitory presynaptic neurons that suppress null direction responses for high direction tuning in their light responses. The DS cells of the two species showed several differences including different numbers of bursts. Also, spiking patterns were more heterogeneous across DS RGCs of rabbits than those of mice. The electric response magnitudes of rabbit DS cells showed positive and negative correlations with ON and OFF light response magnitudes to preferred direction motion, respectively. But the mouse DS cells showed positive correlations in both comparisons. Our Fano Factor (FF) and spike time tiling coefficient (STTC) analyses revealed that spiking consistencies across repeats were reduced in late electric responses in both species. Moreover, the response consistencies of DS RGCs were lower than those of non-DS RGCs. Our results indicate the species-dependent retinal circuits may result in different electric response features and therefore suggest a proper animal model may be crucial in prosthetic researches.
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42
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Scene statistics and noise determine the relative arrangement of receptive field mosaics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2105115118. [PMID: 34556573 PMCID: PMC8488585 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105115118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Across a wide variety of species, cells in the retina specialized for signaling either increases (ON) or decreases (OFF) in light represent one of the most basic building blocks of visual computation. These cells coordinate to form mosaics, with each cell responsible for a small, minimally overlapping portion of visual space, but the ways in which these mosaics could be spatially coordinated with each other are relatively unknown. Here, we show how efficient coding theory, which hypothesizes that the nervous system minimizes the amount of redundant information it encodes, can predict the relative spatial arrangement of ON and OFF mosaics. The most information-efficient arrangements are determined both by levels of noise in the system and the statistics of natural images. Many sensory systems utilize parallel ON and OFF pathways that signal stimulus increments and decrements, respectively. These pathways consist of ensembles or grids of ON and OFF detectors spanning sensory space. Yet, encoding by opponent pathways raises a question: How should grids of ON and OFF detectors be arranged to optimally encode natural stimuli? We investigated this question using a model of the retina guided by efficient coding theory. Specifically, we optimized spatial receptive fields and contrast response functions to encode natural images given noise and constrained firing rates. We find that the optimal arrangement of ON and OFF receptive fields exhibits a transition between aligned and antialigned grids. The preferred phase depends on detector noise and the statistical structure of the natural stimuli. These results reveal that noise and stimulus statistics produce qualitative shifts in neural coding strategies and provide theoretical predictions for the configuration of opponent pathways in the nervous system.
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43
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Mano O, Creamer MS, Badwan BA, Clark DA. Predicting individual neuron responses with anatomically constrained task optimization. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4062-4075.e4. [PMID: 34324832 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Artificial neural networks trained to solve sensory tasks can develop statistical representations that match those in biological circuits. However, it remains unclear whether they can reproduce properties of individual neurons. Here, we investigated how artificial networks predict individual neuron properties in the visual motion circuits of the fruit fly Drosophila. We trained anatomically constrained networks to predict movement in natural scenes, solving the same inference problem as fly motion detectors. Units in the artificial networks adopted many properties of analogous individual neurons, even though they were not explicitly trained to match these properties. Among these properties was the split into ON and OFF motion detectors, which is not predicted by classical motion detection models. The match between model and neurons was closest when models were trained to be robust to noise. These results demonstrate how anatomical, task, and noise constraints can explain properties of individual neurons in a small neural network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Mano
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Matthew S Creamer
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Bara A Badwan
- School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Damon A Clark
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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44
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Grünert U, Martin PR. Morphology, Molecular Characterization, and Connections of Ganglion Cells in Primate Retina. Annu Rev Vis Sci 2021; 7:73-103. [PMID: 34524877 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-vision-100419-115801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The eye sends information about the visual world to the brain on over 20 parallel signal pathways, each specialized to signal features such as spectral reflection (color), edges, and motion of objects in the environment. Each pathway is formed by the axons of a separate type of retinal output neuron (retinal ganglion cell). In this review, we summarize what is known about the excitatory retinal inputs, brain targets, and gene expression patterns of ganglion cells in humans and nonhuman primates. We describe how most ganglion cell types receive their input from only one or two of the 11 types of cone bipolar cell and project selectively to only one or two target regions in the brain. We also highlight how genetic methods are providing tools to characterize ganglion cells and establish cross-species homologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Grünert
- Save Sight Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia; , .,Sydney Node, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
| | - Paul R Martin
- Save Sight Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia; , .,Sydney Node, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
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45
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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.
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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.
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Li Z, Ungerer M, Faßbender J, Wenhart C, Holthoff HP, Muench G. Tissue block staining and domestic adhesive tape yield qualified integral sections of adult mouse orbits and eyeballs. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255363. [PMID: 34347814 PMCID: PMC8336840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The standard histological processing procedure, which produces excellent staining of sections for most tissues, fails to yield satisfactory results in adult mouse orbits or eyeballs. Here, we show that a protocol using tissue block staining and domestic adhesive tapes resulted in qualified integral serial cryo-sections of whole orbits or eyeballs, and the fine structures were well preserved. The histological processing protocol comprises paraformaldehyde fixation, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid decalcification, tissue block staining with hematoxylin and eosin, embedding, adhesive tape aided sectioning, and water-soluble mounting. This protocol was proved to be the best in comparison with seven other related existing histological traditional or non-traditional processing methods, according to the staining slice quality. We observed a hundred percent success rate in sectioning, collection, and mounting with this method. The reproducibility tested on qualified section success rates and slice quality scores confirmed that the technique is reliable. The feasibility of the method to detect target molecules in orbits was verified by successful trial tests on block immunostaining and adhesive tape-aided sectioning. Application of this protocol in joints, brains, and so on,—the challenging integral sectioning tissues, also generated high-quality histological staining sections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongmin Li
- Advancecor GmbH, Martinsried, Germany
- * E-mail:
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47
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Pottackal J, Singer JH, Demb JB. Computational and Molecular Properties of Starburst Amacrine Cell Synapses Differ With Postsynaptic Cell Type. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:660773. [PMID: 34381333 PMCID: PMC8351878 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.660773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A presynaptic neuron can increase its computational capacity by transmitting functionally distinct signals to each of its postsynaptic cell types. To determine whether such computational specialization occurs over fine spatial scales within a neurite arbor, we investigated computation at output synapses of the starburst amacrine cell (SAC), a critical component of the classical direction-selective (DS) circuit in the retina. The SAC is a non-spiking interneuron that co-releases GABA and acetylcholine and forms closely spaced (<5 μm) inhibitory synapses onto two postsynaptic cell types: DS ganglion cells (DSGCs) and neighboring SACs. During dynamic optogenetic stimulation of SACs in mouse retina, whole-cell recordings of inhibitory postsynaptic currents revealed that GABAergic synapses onto DSGCs exhibit stronger low-pass filtering than those onto neighboring SACs. Computational analyses suggest that this filtering difference can be explained primarily by presynaptic properties, rather than those of the postsynaptic cells per se. Consistent with functionally diverse SAC presynapses, blockade of N-type voltage-gated calcium channels abolished GABAergic currents in SACs but only moderately reduced GABAergic and cholinergic currents in DSGCs. These results jointly demonstrate how specialization of synaptic outputs could enhance parallel processing in a compact interneuron over fine spatial scales. Moreover, the distinct transmission kinetics of GABAergic SAC synapses are poised to support the functional diversity of inhibition within DS circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Pottackal
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.,Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Joshua H Singer
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, 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
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48
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Mechanism of Motion Direction Detection Based on Barlow’s Retina Inhibitory Scheme in Direction-Selective Ganglion Cells. ELECTRONICS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/electronics10141663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported that directionally selective ganglion cells respond strongly in their preferred direction, but are only weakly excited by stimuli moving in the opposite null direction. Various studies have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying direction selectivity with cellular basis. However, these studies have not elucidated the mechanism underlying motion direction detection. In this study, we propose the mechanism based on Barlow’s inhibitory scheme for motion direction detection. We described the local motion-sensing direction-selective neurons. Next, this model was used to construct the two-dimensional multi-directional detection neurons which detect the local motion directions. The information of local motion directions was finally used to infer the global motion direction. To verify the validity of the proposed mechanism, we conducted a series of experiments involving a dataset with a number of images. The proposed mechanism exhibited good performance in all experiments with high detection accuracy. Furthermore, we compare the performance of our proposed system and traditional Convolution Neural Network (CNN) on motion direction prediction. It is found that the performance of our system is much better than that of CNN in terms of accuracy, calculation speed and cost.
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Visual Disfunction due to the Selective Effect of Glutamate Agonists on Retinal Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126245. [PMID: 34200611 PMCID: PMC8230349 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the causes of nervous system degeneration is an excess of glutamate released upon several diseases. Glutamate analogs, like N-methyl-DL-aspartate (NMDA) and kainic acid (KA), have been shown to induce experimental retinal neurotoxicity. Previous results have shown that NMDA/KA neurotoxicity induces significant changes in the full field electroretinogram response, a thinning on the inner retinal layers, and retinal ganglion cell death. However, not all types of retinal neurons experience the same degree of injury in response to the excitotoxic stimulus. The goal of the present work is to address the effect of intraocular injection of different doses of NMDA/KA on the structure and function of several types of retinal cells and their functionality. To globally analyze the effect of glutamate receptor activation in the retina after the intraocular injection of excitotoxic agents, a combination of histological, electrophysiological, and functional tools has been employed to assess the changes in the retinal structure and function. Retinal excitotoxicity caused by the intraocular injection of a mixture of NMDA/KA causes a harmful effect characterized by a great loss of bipolar, amacrine, and retinal ganglion cells, as well as the degeneration of the inner retina. This process leads to a loss of retinal cell functionality characterized by an impairment of light sensitivity and visual acuity, with a strong effect on the retinal OFF pathway. The structural and functional injury suffered by the retina suggests the importance of the glutamate receptors expressed by different types of retinal cells. The effect of glutamate agonists on the OFF pathway represents one of the main findings of the study, as the evaluation of the retinal lesions caused by excitotoxicity could be specifically explored using tests that evaluate the OFF pathway.
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Burkitt AN, Hogendoorn H. Predictive Visual Motion Extrapolation Emerges Spontaneously and without Supervision at Each Layer of a Hierarchical Neural Network with Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4428-4438. [PMID: 33888603 PMCID: PMC8152614 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2017-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The fact that the transmission and processing of visual information in the brain takes time presents a problem for the accurate real-time localization of a moving object. One way this problem might be solved is extrapolation: using an object's past trajectory to predict its location in the present moment. Here, we investigate how a simulated in silico layered neural network might implement such extrapolation mechanisms, and how the necessary neural circuits might develop. We allowed an unsupervised hierarchical network of velocity-tuned neurons to learn its connectivity through spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). We show that the temporal contingencies between the different neural populations that are activated by an object as it moves causes the receptive fields of higher-level neurons to shift in the direction opposite to their preferred direction of motion. The result is that neural populations spontaneously start to represent moving objects as being further along their trajectory than where they were physically detected. Because of the inherent delays of neural transmission, this effectively compensates for (part of) those delays by bringing the represented position of a moving object closer to its instantaneous position in the world. Finally, we show that this model accurately predicts the pattern of perceptual mislocalization that arises when human observers are required to localize a moving object relative to a flashed static object (the flash-lag effect; FLE).SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our ability to track and respond to rapidly changing visual stimuli, such as a fast-moving tennis ball, indicates that the brain is capable of extrapolating the trajectory of a moving object to predict its current position, despite the delays that result from neural transmission. Here, we show how the neural circuits underlying this ability can be learned through spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity and that these circuits emerge spontaneously and without supervision. This demonstrates how the neural transmission delays can, in part, be compensated to implement the extrapolation mechanisms required to predict where a moving object is at the present moment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony N Burkitt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Hinze Hogendoorn
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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