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Hunt JE, Pratt KG, Molnár Z. Ocular Necessities: A Neuroethological Perspective on Vertebrate Visual Development. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2024; 99:96-108. [PMID: 38447544 PMCID: PMC11152017 DOI: 10.1159/000536035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND By examining species-specific innate behaviours, neuroethologists have characterized unique neural strategies and specializations from throughout the animal kingdom. Simultaneously, the field of evolutionary developmental biology (informally, "evo-devo") seeks to make inferences about animals' evolutionary histories through careful comparison of developmental processes between species, because evolution is the evolution of development. Yet despite the shared focus on cross-species comparisons, there is surprisingly little crosstalk between these two fields. Insights can be gleaned at the intersection of neuroethology and evo-devo. Every animal develops within an environment, wherein ecological pressures advantage some behaviours and disadvantage others. These pressures are reflected in the neurodevelopmental strategies employed by different animals across taxa. SUMMARY Vision is a system of particular interest for studying the adaptation of animals to their environments. The visual system enables a wide variety of animals across the vertebrate lineage to interact with their environments, presenting a fantastic opportunity to examine how ecological pressures have shaped animals' behaviours and developmental strategies. Applying a neuroethological lens to the study of visual development, we advance a novel theory that accounts for the evolution of spontaneous retinal waves, an important phenomenon in the development of the visual system, across the vertebrate lineage. KEY MESSAGES We synthesize literature on spontaneous retinal waves from across the vertebrate lineage. We find that ethological considerations explain some cross-species differences in the dynamics of retinal waves. In zebrafish, retinal waves may be more important for the development of the retina itself, rather than the retinofugal projections. We additionally suggest empirical tests to determine whether Xenopus laevis experiences retinal waves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper Elan Hunt
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kara Geo Pratt
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Zoltán Molnár
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Bonetto G, Kamen Y, Evans KA, Káradóttir RT. Unraveling Myelin Plasticity. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:156. [PMID: 32595455 PMCID: PMC7301701 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasticity in the central nervous system (CNS) allows for responses to changing environmental signals. While the majority of studies on brain plasticity focus on neuronal synapses, myelin plasticity has now begun to emerge as a potential modulator of neuronal networks. Oligodendrocytes (OLs) produce myelin, which provides fast signal transmission, allows for synchronization of neuronal inputs, and helps to maintain neuronal function. Thus, myelination is also thought to be involved in learning. OLs differentiate from oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which are distributed throughout the adult brain, and myelination continues into late adulthood. This process is orchestrated by numerous cellular and molecular signals, such as axonal diameter, growth factors, extracellular signaling molecules, and neuronal activity. However, the relative importance of, and cooperation between, these signaling pathways is currently unknown. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge about myelin plasticity in the CNS. We discuss new insights into the link between this type of plasticity, learning and behavior, as well as mechanistic aspects of myelin formation that may underlie myelin plasticity, highlighting OPC diversity in the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Bonetto
- Wellcome - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yasmine Kamen
- Wellcome - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Kimberley Anne Evans
- Wellcome - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ragnhildur Thóra Káradóttir
- Wellcome - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Physiology, Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
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Murcia-Belmonte V, Erskine L. Wiring the Binocular Visual Pathways. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20133282. [PMID: 31277365 PMCID: PMC6651880 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20133282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) extend axons out of the retina to transmit visual information to the brain. These connections are established during development through the navigation of RGC axons along a relatively long, stereotypical pathway. RGC axons exit the eye at the optic disc and extend along the optic nerves to the ventral midline of the brain, where the two nerves meet to form the optic chiasm. In animals with binocular vision, the axons face a choice at the optic chiasm—to cross the midline and project to targets on the contralateral side of the brain, or avoid crossing the midline and project to ipsilateral brain targets. Ipsilaterally and contralaterally projecting RGCs originate in disparate regions of the retina that relate to the extent of binocular overlap in the visual field. In humans virtually all RGC axons originating in temporal retina project ipsilaterally, whereas in mice, ipsilaterally projecting RGCs are confined to the peripheral ventrotemporal retina. This review will discuss recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms regulating specification of ipsilateral versus contralateral RGCs, and the differential guidance of their axons at the optic chiasm. Recent insights into the establishment of congruent topographic maps in both brain hemispheres also will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lynda Erskine
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland AB25 2ZD, UK
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Murcia-Belmonte V, Coca Y, Vegar C, Negueruela S, de Juan Romero C, Valiño AJ, Sala S, DaSilva R, Kania A, Borrell V, Martinez LM, Erskine L, Herrera E. A Retino-retinal Projection Guided by Unc5c Emerged in Species with Retinal Waves. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1149-1160.e4. [PMID: 30905607 PMCID: PMC6453780 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The existence of axons extending from one retina to the other has been reported during perinatal development in different vertebrates. However, it has been thought that these axons are either a labeling artifact or misprojections. Here, we show unequivocally that a small subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) project to the opposite retina and that the guidance receptor Unc5c, expressed in the retinal region where the retinal-retinal (R-R) RGCs are located, is necessary and sufficient to guide axons to the opposite retina. In addition, Netrin1, an Unc5c ligand, is expressed in the ventral diencephalon in a pattern that is consistent with impeding the growth of Unc5c-positive retinal axons into the brain. We also have generated a mathematical model to explore the formation of retinotopic maps in the presence and absence of a functional connection between both eyes. This model predicts that an R-R connection is required for the bilateral coordination of axonal refinement in species where refinement depends upon spontaneous retinal waves. Consistent with this idea, the retinal expression of Unc5c correlates with the existence and size of an R-R projection in different species and with the extent of axonal refinement in visual targets. These findings demonstrate that active guidance drives the formation of the R-R projection and suggest an important role for these projections in visual mapping to ensure congruent bilateral refinement. A subset of retinal ganglion cells project to the contralateral retina Unc5c mediates the formation of the retina-retina projection Unc5c retinal expression correlates with extent of refinement in visual targets Congruency of visual maps in species with retinal waves may rely on R-R axons
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Murcia-Belmonte
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Yaiza Coca
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Celia Vegar
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Santiago Negueruela
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Camino de Juan Romero
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Arturo José Valiño
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Salvador Sala
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Ronan DaSilva
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), 110, ave. des Pins Ouest, Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Artur Kania
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), 110, ave. des Pins Ouest, Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B2, Canada
| | - Víctor Borrell
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Luis M Martinez
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Lynda Erskine
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland, UK
| | - Eloísa Herrera
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández, CSIC-UMH, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain.
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