Effects of photic environment on the development of spectral response properties of optic nerve fibers in the ground squirrel

1983 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. McCourt ◽  
G.H. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Spectral Response ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Response Properties

Directional filter characteristics of optic nerve fibers in California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi)

1984 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1200-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. McCourt ◽  
G. H. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Spatial Summation ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Field Size ◽  
Image Motion ◽  
Spermophilus Beecheyi ◽  
California Ground Squirrel ◽  
Preferred Direction

Directional units in the optic nerve of the California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi) were studied with respect to their response to diffuse light, preferred directions of motion, tuning for preferred direction, the relationship between spatial and directional tuning characteristics, and receptive-field size and areal summating properties. Directional units in the ground squirrel optic nerve are of the “on-off” type. No purely on or off units were encountered in a sample of 356 directionally selective fibers. The distribution of preferred directions of image motion for 356 units was significantly anisotropic; greater than 50% of the directional units prefer motion in the direction of the superior-nasal visual quadrant. Mean directional bandwidth, measured at half-amplitude response, for 39 units was 88.5 degrees. The distribution of directional bandwidths suggests that two subpopulations of directional units may exist a broadly tuned (106.4 degrees bandwidth) group preferring image motion in the superior-nasal direction, and a narrowly tuned group (59.9 degrees bandwidth) with a uniform distribution of preferred direction. Tuning for direction of motion and for spatial frequency were significantly positively correlated in a sample of 35 directional units. Area-vs.-response measures for directional units show that they possess excitatory discharge centers with a concentric antagonistic surround, plus a larger suppressive surround activated specifically by moving luminance contours, which may be asymmetric. Critical activation areas for directional units, as measured along orthogonal orientations, were highly positively correlated. This suggests that these receptive fields possess the property of linear spatial summation, not of luminance flux, but of areas of moving luminance contours.

Behavioral and electrophysiological sensitivity to temporally modulated visual stimuli in the ground squirrel

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 593-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Crognale ◽  
Gerald H. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Spermophilus Beecheyi ◽  
Unit Recording ◽  
California Ground Squirrel ◽  
Spectral Sensitivity Function

AbstractBehavioral and electrophysiological methods were used to measure sensitivity to flickering lights in a dichromatic species, the California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi). Discrimination tests were used to determine spectral sensitivity at stimulus frequencies from 5–50 Hz and increment threshold spectral sensitivity. The contributions of retinal mechanisms to these capacities were assessed by recording the responses of optic nerve fibers to temporally modulated monochromatic lights. In the ground squirrel, as in the human, the shape of the spectral-sensitivity function depends on the temporal frequency of the stimulus. Results from single-unit recording show that all of the classes of optic nerve fibers in the ground squirrel are highly phase-locked to the stimulus for modulation rates as high as 50 Hz. Neither the responses of photoreceptors nor any class of optic nerve fiber can singly account for the behavioral results. The electrophysiological results are also counter to models which propose that temporally dependent changes in the spectral sensitivity of spectrally opponent fibers account for the behavior. The temporal resolution of the optic nerve fibers exceeds that of the behaving animal suggesting that retinal mechanisms do not limit behavioral temporal resolution.

Melatonin As a Modulator of Degenerative and Regenerative Signaling Pathways in Injured Retinal Ganglion Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (28) ◽  
pp. 3057-3073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kobra B. Juybari ◽  
Azam Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Habib Ghaznavi ◽  
Mahboobeh Kamali ◽  
Ahad Sedaghat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Mitochondrial Dysfunction ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Axon Growth ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Retinal Ganglion

Optic neuropathies refer to the dysfunction or degeneration of optic nerve fibers caused by any reasons including ischemia, inflammation, trauma, tumor, mitochondrial dysfunction, toxins, nutritional deficiency, inheritance, etc. Post-mitotic CNS neurons, including retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) intrinsically have a limited capacity for axon growth after either trauma or disease, leading to irreversible vision loss. In recent years, an increasing number of laboratory evidence has evaluated optic nerve injuries, focusing on molecular signaling pathways involved in RGC death. Trophic factor deprivation (TFD), inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, ischemia, hypoxia, etc. have been recognized as important molecular mechanisms leading to RGC apoptosis. Understanding these obstacles provides a better view to find out new strategies against retinal cell damage. Melatonin, as a wide-spectrum antioxidant and powerful freeradical scavenger, has the ability to protect RGCs or other cells against a variety of deleterious conditions such as oxidative/nitrosative stress, hypoxia/ischemia, inflammatory processes, and apoptosis. In this review, we primarily highlight the molecular regenerative and degenerative mechanisms involved in RGC survival/death and then summarize the possible protective effects of melatonin in the process of RGC death in some ocular diseases including optic neuropathies. Based on the information provided in this review, melatonin may act as a promising agent to reduce RGC death in various retinal pathologic conditions.

scholarly journals Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in the Retina and Optic Nerve of a Novel Glaucoma Mouse Model

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Reinhard ◽  
Susanne Wiemann ◽  
Sebastian Hildebrandt ◽  
Andreas Faissner
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽  
Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Protein Tyrosine ◽  
Tenascin C ◽  
Iop Elevation

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and optic nerve fibers. Increased age and intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation are the main risk factors for developing glaucoma. Mice that are heterozygous (HET) for the mega-karyocyte protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (PTP-Meg2) show chronic and progressive IOP elevation, severe RGCs loss, and optic nerve damage, and represent a valuable model for IOP-dependent primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Previously, evidence accumulated suggesting that glaucomatous neurodegeneration is associated with the extensive remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. Unfortunately, little is known about the exact ECM changes in the glaucomatous retina and optic nerve. Hence, the goal of the present study was to comparatively explore ECM alterations in glaucomatous PTP-Meg2 HET and control wild type (WT) mice. Due to their potential relevance in glaucomatous neurodegeneration, we specifically analyzed the expression pattern of the ECM glycoproteins fibronectin, laminin, tenascin-C, and tenascin-R as well as the proteoglycans aggrecan, brevican, and members of the receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase beta/zeta (RPTPβ/ζ) family. The analyses were carried out in the retina and optic nerve of glaucomatous PTP-Meg2 HET and WT mice using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. Interestingly, we observed increased fibronectin and laminin levels in the glaucomatous HET retina and optic nerve compared to the WT group. RT-qPCR analyses of the laminins α4, β2 and γ3 showed an altered isoform-specific regulation in the HET retina and optic nerve. In addition, an upregulation of tenascin-C and its interaction partner RPTPβ/ζ/phosphacan was found in glaucomatous tissue. However, comparable protein and mRNA levels for tenascin-R as well as aggrecan and brevican were observed in both groups. Overall, our study showed a remodeling of various ECM components in the glaucomatous retina and optic nerve of PTP-Meg2 HET mice. This dysregulation could be responsible for pathological processes such as neovascularization, inflammation, and reactive gliosis in glaucomatous neurodegeneration.

Response Properties of Single Auditory Nerve Fibers in the Mouse

2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 557-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette M. Taberner ◽  
M. Charles Liberman
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Cochlear Function ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Tuning Curves ◽  
Rate Versus ◽  
Interstrain Difference ◽  
Mutant Lines

The availability of transgenic and mutant lines makes the mouse a valuable model for study of the inner ear, and a powerful window into cochlear function can be obtained by recordings from single auditory nerve (AN) fibers. This study provides the first systematic description of spontaneous and sound-evoked discharge properties of AN fibers in mouse, specifically in CBA/CaJ and C57BL/6 strains, both commonly used in auditory research. Response properties of 196 AN fibers from CBA/CaJ and 58 from C57BL/6 were analyzed, including spontaneous rates (SR), tuning curves, rate versus level functions, dynamic range, response adaptation, phase-locking, and the relation between SR and these response properties. The only significant interstrain difference was the elevation of high-frequency thresholds in C57BL/6. In general, mouse AN fibers showed similar responses to other mammals: sharpness of tuning increased with characteristic frequency, which ranged from 2.5 to 70 kHz; SRs ranged from 0 to 120 sp/s, and fibers with low SR (<1 sp/s) had higher thresholds, and wider dynamic ranges than fibers with high SR. Dynamic ranges for mouse high-SR fibers were smaller (<20 dB) than those seen in other mammals. Phase-locking was seen for tone frequencies <4 kHz. Maximum synchronization indices were lower than those in cat but similar to those found in guinea pig.

[3H]nicotine binding sites are associated with mammalian optic nerve terminals

1988 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen T. Prusky ◽  
Max S. Cynader
Keyword(s):  
Optic Nerve ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Optic Tract ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Nerve Terminals ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine ◽  
Retinotectal Transmission

AbstractThe autoradiographic distribution of [3H]nicotine binding sites was examined in the superior colliculus in normal rats and cats, and in animals in which one or both eyes were removed. [3H]Nicotine binding sites in normal animals were densely concentrated in the superficial layers of the colliculus corresponding to the zone of termination of optic nerve fibers. Following bilateral enucleation, [3H]nicotine binding in the superficial collicular layers was drastically reduced. Unilateral enucleation markedly reduced [3H]nicotine binding sites in the colliculus contralateral to the removed eye, with little effect on the ipsilateral colliculus. These results provide further evidence that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a presynaptic location on optic tract terminals and may therefore modulate retinotectal transmission in both the rat and cat visual system.

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