The Shape and Circuitry of Neurons in the Retina

视网膜神经元的形状和电路

• 批准号: 6767029
• 负责人: MARGARET MACNEIL
• 金额: $ 9.99万
• 依托单位: YORK COLLEGE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-06-01 至 2008-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6767029
• 关键词: amacrine cells; cell cell interaction; cell component structure /function; cell morphology; cell population study; confocal scanning microscopy; dendrites; dendritic cells; electron microscopy; immunofluorescence technique; laboratory rabbit; neural information processing; neuroanatomy; neuronal guidance; neurons; retina; retinal bipolar neuron; synapses

The major classes of retina neurons that make synapses in the inner plexiform layer have been identified in rabbit retina: amacrine cells, ganglion cells and now bipolar cells. These cells have been classified morphologically, based on the breadth of their processes, their depth within the inner plexiform layer and the subtle peculiarities in the branching and morphology of their processes. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the generalization that each of the three cell types is distributed numerically in a rather even way with no particular cell type predominating. This suggests that the rabbit retina has numerous parallel channels, with at least a dozen being given equal weight. Now that the types of cells have been identified, the next problem is to tease apart the multiple parallel microcircuits that exist in the retina. We propose to sort out some of these circuits by looking at cells that interact with directionally selective (DS) ganglion cells. Using combination of techniques that includes microinjection, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy and photofilling, we propose to study: 1) whether the ON arbor of a DS ganglion cell receives input from multiple bipolar cell types; 2) whether the dendrites of starburst amacrine cells selectively wire with DS ganglion cells on their null, and not on their preferred side; and 3) whether the ON and OFF arbors of the DS ganglion cell receive common input from a single amacrine cell type. This research is important because it is helping to reveal circuits in the retina that contribute to visual processing. By identifying the different circuits that are formed by retinal cells, we may eventually be able to pinpoint the sources of retinal dysfunction.

在兔视网膜中已经鉴定出在内丛状层中制成突触的重大视网膜神经元的主要类别类别：小麦氨酸细胞，神经节细胞和现在的双极细胞。这些细胞已根据其过程的广度，内丛状层内的深度以及其过程的分支和形态中的微妙特征对这些细胞进行了分类。也许最大的惊喜是概括，即三种单元格类型中的每一种都以数值分布，甚至没有特定的单元格类型。这表明兔视网膜有许多平行通道，至少有十二个相等的重量。现在已经确定了细胞的类型，下一个问题是嘲笑视网膜中存在的多个平行微电路。我们建议通过查看与定向选择性（DS）神经节细胞相互作用的细胞来整理其中一些电路。使用包括显微注射，免疫细胞化学，电子显微镜和光填充的技术的组合，我们建议研究：1）DS神经节细胞的乔木在乔木上是否从多种双极细胞类型中接收输入； 2）是否在其空中与DS神经节细胞选择性地连接了恒星爆爆的树突，而不是在其首选的侧面； 3）DS神经节细胞的开关乔木是否从单一的无链氨酸细胞类型中获得共同的输入。 这项研究很重要，因为它有助于揭示导致视觉处理的视网膜中的电路。通过识别由视网膜细胞形成的不同电路，我们最终可以确定视网膜功能障碍的来源。