Anatomical correlations between soma size, axon diameter, and intraretinal length for the alpha ganglion cells of the cat retina

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fitzgibbon ◽  
K. Funke ◽  
U. Th. Eysel
Keyword(s):  
Optic Disc ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Alpha Cell ◽  
Axon Diameter ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Area Centralis ◽  
Soma Size ◽  
Temporal Aspect

AbstractRetinal ganglion cells within the same region of the retina may have different lengths of axon before reaching the optic disc depending on the route they take with respect to the temporal raphe. We have investigated whether there is a correlation between soma and intraretinal axon diameter and how these parameters relate to intraretinal axon length on both sides of the cat temporal raphe. Retinas were wholemounted and alpha-cell somata and fibers stained with a modified neurofibrillar method. Moving peripherally from the area centralis along the raphe there was a progressively increasing difference between the intraretinal axon lengths for nearly adjacent cells across the raphe, which reached a maximum of 4–5 mm at the retinal periphery. Cells on the nasal aspect of the raphe had shorter axons than did adjacent cells on the temporal aspect of the raphe. Comparison of soma diameter s&les across the raphe showed there was no clear trend between soma diameter and intraretinal length. Replotting the raphe and s&le areas on a cell density map indicated that différences in soma diameter could be attributed to ganglion-cell density differences between the s&led areas.Examination of the stained cells revealed that within the initial length of the axon there was a region showing a reduction of axon diameter (diameter <1 μm), which varied in length from cell to cell. The axon was, therefore, divided into three segments: the portion of axon prior to thinning (A), the thin segment itself (B), and the part of the axon after the thin segment (C). The diameter of each segment (A, B, C) and the lengths of the first and second segments (A, B) were significantly correlated with soma diameter (P < 0.001). From measurements of the axon diameter of segment C, it was concluded that alpha-cell axons continue to increase in diameter along their path towards the optic disc.The present report indicates that alpha-cell soma size, when going from the area centralis to the periphery along the raphe, reaches a plateau and then declines within more peripheral retinal locations in spite of increasing intraretinal axon length. Thus, there is no positive correlation between soma or axon diameter and intraretinal axon length. The anatomical findings are discussed in relation to previous reports of retinal development and complementary conduction times within intraretinal and extraretinal visual pathways.

Distribution and size of ganglion cells in the retinae of large Amazon rodents

1989 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. L. Silveira ◽  
C. W. Picanço-Diniz ◽  
E. Oswaldo-Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Size Spectra ◽  
Topographical Distribution ◽  
Visual Streak ◽  
Soma Size

AbstractThe topographical distribution of density and soma size of the retinal ganglion cells were studied in three species of hystricomorph rodents. Flat-mounted retinae were stained by the Nissl method and the ganglion cells counted on a matrix covering the whole retinae. Soma size was determined for samples at different retinal regions. The agouti, a diurnal rodent, shows a well-developed visual streak, reaching a peak density of 6250 ganglion cells/mm2. The total number of ganglion cells ranged from 477, 427–548, 205 in eight retinae. The ganglion-cell-size histogram of the visual streak region exhibits a marked shift towards smaller values when compared to retinal periphery. Upper and lower regions differ in both cell density and cell size. The crepuscular capybara shows a less-developed visual streak with a peak ganglion cell density of 2250/mm2. The shift towards small-sized cells in the visual streak is less marked. Total ganglion cell population is 368,840. In the nocturnal paca, the upper half of the fundus oculi includes a tapetum lucidum. The retina of this species shows the least-developed visual streak of this group, with the lowest peak ganglion cell density reaching 925/mm2. The total ganglion cell number (230,804) is also smaller than in the two other species. Soma-size spectra of this species are characterized by the presence, in the lower hemi-retina, of very large perikarya comparable in size to the cat's alpha ganglion cells.

Representation of the temporal raphe within the optic tract of the cat

1989 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fitzgibbon ◽  
W. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Optic Disc ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Optic Tract ◽  
Cell Labeling ◽  
Venn Diagram ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Retinal Topography ◽  
Area Centralis ◽  
Diagram Analysis ◽  
Lateral Tract

AbstractThe retinal topography of the cat's optic tract was determined by means of injections of the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the tract. This analysis was accomplished by the subtraction of all HRP injection sites not labeling a defined retinal area from those injection sites which resulted in ganglion cell labeling (Venn diagram analysis). Using this method, the following correspondences were demonstrated for the ipsilateral and contralateral projections: superior retina represented in medial optic tract; inferior retina in lateral tract; and area centralis in a dorsocentral location (which was part of a larger area representing the visual streak). The temporal raphe was represented in the ipsilateral tract as a band curving from the area centralis region toward the dorsomedial border of the tract. Contralateral fibers from a region superior to the optic disc were found to be displaced with respect to the general retinal representation in the optic tract and this appeared to be related to retinal development. The ratio of contralateral to ipsilateral fibers was determined and found to be nonuniform within the tract.Injection of HRP into the optic tract of the cat also allowed the axons from labeled retinal ganglion cells to be traced within the retina and optic disc. Axons from ganglion cells lying temporal to the raphe curve around the area centralis enter the optic disc on the lateral and inferior aspects. Ganglion cells lying nasal to the raphe send their axons more directly to enter the optic disc on its superior aspect. A schema is proposed whereby the retina is mapped onto the optic tract.

Soma and axon diameter distributions and central projections of ferret retinal ganglion cells

1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fitzgibbon ◽  
R. J. Wingate ◽  
I. D. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Alpha Cells ◽  
Axon Diameter ◽  
Mustela Putorius ◽  
Soma Size ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractUsing a combination of retrograde horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labelling, silver staining, and electron microscopy, we have assessed the relationship between retinal ganglion cell soma size and axon diameter in the adult ferret (Mustela putorius furo). Retinal ganglion cells were labelled following injections of HRP into the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), superior colliculus (SC), or LGN+SC. The soma size distributions following LGN, SC, or LGN+SC injections were all unimodal showing considerable overlap between different cell classes. This was confirmed for alpha cells, identified on the basis of dendritic filling or from neurofibrillar-stained retinae. Analysis of the soma size and axon diameters of a population of heavily labelled retinal ganglion cells showed a significant correlation between the two. However, the overall distribution of intraretinal axon diameter was bimodal with an extended tail. Analysis of the ganglion cell distributions in the adult ferret indicates that beta cells comprise about 50.5–55%, gamma 42.5–47%, and alpha 2.5% of the ganglion cell population. This implies that the proportion of gamma, beta, alpha cells in both cat and ferret retina is highly conserved despite differences in visual specialization in the two species.

On the distribution of gamma cells in the cat retina

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Stein ◽  
D.M. Berson
Keyword(s):  
Beta Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Retrograde Transport ◽  
Cat Retina ◽  
Cell Class ◽  
Visual Streak ◽  
Area Centralis ◽  
Soma Size ◽  
Retinal Distribution ◽  
The Brain

AbstractGanglion cells of the cat retina that are neither alpha nor beta cells are often lumped for convenience into a single anatomical group—the gamma cells (Boycott & Wässle, 1974; Stone, 1983; Wässle & Boycott, 1991). Defined in this way, gamma cells are the morphological counterpart to the physiological W-cell class, which includes all ganglion cells that are neither Y (alpha) nor X (beta) cells. We have estimated the retinal distribution of gamma cells by using retrograde transport to label ganglion cells innervating the superior colliculus and by assuming that these included virtually all gamma cells and no beta cells. We excluded labeled alpha cells on the basis of soma size. Our data suggest that gamma cells represent just under half of the ganglion cells in most of the nasal retina, but only about a third of those in the area centralis and temporal retina. Gamma cells do not appear to be more highly concentrated in the nasal visual streak than are other ganglion cells. In the temporal retina, gamma cells with crossed projections to the brain are apparently at least twice as common as those with uncrossed projections.

Retinal Ganglion Cell Topography and Retinal Resolution in the Baikal Seal (Pusa sibirica)

2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla M. Mass ◽  
Alexander Y. Supin
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Cell Group ◽  
Nodal Distance ◽  
Distinct Cell ◽  
Area Centralis ◽  
Cell Densities ◽  
Retinal Resolution ◽  
Topographic Distribution

The total number, size, topographic distribution, and cell density of ganglion cells were studied in retinal wholemounts of Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica). The ganglion cell size varied from 10 to 38 μm. A distinct cell group consisted of large ganglion cells of more than 30 μm in diameter. The topographic distribution of ganglion cells showed a definite area of high cell density similar to the area centralis of terrestrial carnivores. This area was located approximately 6-7 mm dorsotemporally of the geometric center of the wholemount. In this area, the peak cell densities in two wholemounts were 3,800 and 3,400 cells/mm2 (mean 3,600 cells/mm2). With a posterior nodal distance of 24 mm (underwater), this density corresponds to 631 cells/square degree. These values predict a retinal resolution of 2.4′ in water and 3.0′ in air. The topographic distribution of large cells featured the highest density in the same location as the total ganglion cell population.

Retinal ganglion cell axon diameter spectrum of the cat: Mean axon diameter varies according to retinal position

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Fitzgibbon ◽  
K. Funke
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Nerve Fiber ◽  
Optic Disc ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Axon Diameter ◽  
Fiber Layer ◽  
Nerve Fiber Layer ◽  
Area Centralis ◽  
Diameter Distributions

AbstractAxon diameters of retinal ganglion cells were measured from electron micrographs of the nerve fiber layer of the cat. Three adult retinae were examined which had mean axonal diameters of 1.18 ± 0.86 (n = 5553), 1.12 ± 0.79 (n = 7265), and 1.47 ±1.11 μm (n = 10,867). Cumulative histograms from several locations adjacent to the optic disc were unimodal (modal peaks: 0.6–0.8 μm). This unimodal distribution, however, did not reflect the regional differences in axonal diameters found throughout the retina. In many locations, especially those related to axons of the temporal retina, axon diameter distributions were clearly bimodal or even trimodal (modal peaks: 0.6–0.8, 1.4–2.1, and 3.3 μm). Measurements from one retina indicated that the mean diameters of axons arising from the area centralis and visual streak (0.94 ± 0.63 and 0.98 ± 0.68, respectively) were not significantly different from each other; however, when compared to other areas around the optic disc, the percentage of fibers with diameters between 1.5–2.0 μm was highest in the sample adjacent to the area centralis. Axons temporal to the optic disc were found to be on average larger than those nasal to the optic disc; similarly superior axons were larger than inferior axons. Axonal distributions at the retinal periphery were found to be significantly different from those at the optic disc (p ≤ 0.05) and contained a higher percentage of medium-sized axons and fewer small axons. In each of the three retinae the proportions small, medium, and large axons were respectively γ: 46; 47; 48, β: 50; 49; 48, and α: 4; 4; 4; regional differences in the proportions of each axonal class are compared to previously published ganglion cell density maps. Differences between axonal bundles within each sample location were not significantly different; however, in one retina axons in the scleral half of the fiber layer were significantly larger (P ≤ 0.01) than axons in the vitreal half of the nerve fiber layer adjacent to the optic disc. When compared to the axonal diameter distributions found within the optic nerve (Cottee et al., 1991) and optic tract (Reese et al., 1991), our data indicates that the diameter of retinal axons may increase by up to 30% along the length of the visual pathway.

The retinal ganglion cell distribution and the representation of the visual field in area 17 of the owl monkey, Aotus trivirgatus

1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 887-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. L. Silveira ◽  
V. H. Perry ◽  
E. S. Yamada
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Field ◽  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Amacrine Cells ◽  
Temporal Region ◽  
Cell Distribution ◽  
Area 17 ◽  
Displaced Amacrine Cells

AbstractThe distribution of ganglion cells and displaced amacrine cells was determined in whole-mounted Aotus retinae. In contrast to diurnal simians, Aotus has only a rudimentary fovea. Ganglion cell density decreases towards the periphery at approximately the same rate along all meridians, but is 1.2–1.8 times higher in the nasal periphery when compared to temporal region at the same eccentricities. The total number of ganglion cells varied from 421,500 to 508,700. Ganglion cell density peaked at 15,000/mm2 at 0.25 mm dorsal to the fovea. The displaced amacrine cells have a shallow density gradient, their peak density in the central region is about 1500–2000/mm2 and their total number varied from 315,900 to 482,800. Comparison between ganglion cell density and areal cortical magnification factor for the primary visual cortex, area 17, shows that there is not a simple proportional representation of the ganglion cell distribution. There is an overrepresentation of the central 10 deg of the visual field in the visual cortex. The present results for Aotus and the results of a similar analysis of data from other primates indicate that the overrepresentation of the central visual field is a general feature of the visual system of primates.

Does early enucleation affect the decussation pattern of alpha cells in the ferret?

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin E. Reese ◽  
Janal L. Urich
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Alpha Cell ◽  
Alpha Cells ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Cell Class ◽  
Selective Elimination ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Decussation Pattern ◽  
Binocular Competition

AbstractNaturally occurring cell death has been hypothesized to sculpt various features of the organization of the mature visual pathways, including the recent proposal that the selective elimination of ganglion cells in the temporal retina shapes the formation of decussation patterns. Through a class-specific interocular competition, ganglion cells in the two temporal hemiretinae are selectively lost to produce the decussation patterns characteristic of each individual cell class (Leventhal et al., 1988). The present study has tested this hypothesis by asking whether the removal of one retina in newborn ferrets, which should disrupt binocular interactions at the level of the terminals, alters the decussation pattern of the alpha cells, a cell class that is entirely decussating in the normal adult ferret. Enucleation on the day of birth was found to increase the uncrossed projection by ≈50%, but not a single uncrossed alpha cell was found in the temporal retina. Either alpha cells never project ipsilaterally during development, or if they do, they cannot be rescued by early enucleation. While naturally occurring cell death plays many roles during development, creating the decussation pattern of the ferreth's alpha cell class via a binocular competition at the level of the targets is unlikely to be one of them.

Dendritic competition in the developing retina: Ganglion cell density gradients and laterally displaced dendrites

1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Linden
Keyword(s):  
Density Gradient ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Lateral Displacement ◽  
Optic Tract ◽  
Density Gradients ◽  
Temporal Asymmetry ◽  
Dendritic Arbors ◽  
Contralateral Eye

AbstractDendrites of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) tend to be distributed preferentially toward areas of reduced RGC density. This, however, does not occur in the retina of normal pigmented rats, in which it has been suggested that the centro-peripheral gradient of RGC density is too shallow to provide directional guidance to growing dendrites. In this study, laterally displaced dendrites of RGCs retrogradely labeled with horseradish peroxidase were related to cell density gradients induced experimentally in the rat retina. Neonatal unilateral lesions of the optic tract produced retrograde degeneration of contralaterally projecting RGCs, but spared ipsilaterally projecting neurons in the same retina. These lesions created an anomalous temporal to nasal gradient of cell density across the decussation line, opposite to the nasal to temporal gradient found along the same axis in either normal rats or rats that had the contralateral eye removed at birth. RGCs in rats that received optic tract lesions had their dendrites displaced laterally toward the depleted nasal retina, while in either normal or enucleated rats there was no naso-temporal asymmetry. The lateral displacement affected both primary dendrites and higher-order branches. However, the gradient of cell density after optic tract lesions was less steep than the gradient in either normal or enucleated rats. To test for the presence of steeper gradients at early stages of development, RGC density gradients were also examined at postnatal day 5 (P5). In normal rats, the RGCs were homogeneously distributed throughout the retina, while rats given optic tract lesions at birth already showed a temporo-nasal density gradient at P5. Still, this anomalous gradient was less steep than that found in normal adults. It is concluded that the time course, rather than the steepness of the RGC density gradient, is the major determinant of the lateral displacement of dendritic arbors with respect to the soma in developing RGCs. The data are consistent with the idea that the overall shape of dendritic arbors depends in part on dendritic competition during retinal development.

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