scholarly journals A projection specific logic to sampling visual inputs in mouse superior colliculus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Reinhard ◽  
Chen Li ◽  
Quan Do ◽  
Emily Burke ◽  
Steven Heynderickx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Visual Response ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Parabigeminal Nucleus

AbstractUsing sensory information to trigger different behaviours relies on circuits that pass-through brain regions. However, the rules by which parallel inputs are routed to different downstream targets is poorly understood. The superior colliculus mediates a set of innate behaviours, receiving input from ~30 retinal ganglion cell types and projecting to behaviourally important targets including the pulvinar and parabigeminal nucleus. Combining transsynaptic circuit tracing with in-vivo and ex-vivo electrophysiological recordings we observed a projection specific logic where each collicular output pathway sampled a distinct set of retinal inputs. Neurons projecting to the pulvinar or parabigeminal nucleus uniquely sampled 4 and 7 cell types, respectively. Four others innervated both pathways. The visual response properties of retinal ganglion cells correlated well with those of their disynaptic targets. These findings suggest that projection specific sampling of retinal inputs forms a mechanistic basis for the selective triggering of visually guided behaviours by the superior colliculus.

scholarly journals A projection specific logic to sampling visual inputs in mouse superior colliculus

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Reinhard ◽  
Chen Li ◽  
Quan Do ◽  
Emily G Burke ◽  
Steven Heynderickx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Biased Sampling ◽  
Visual Response ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Parabigeminal Nucleus

Using sensory information to trigger different behaviors relies on circuits that pass through brain regions. The rules by which parallel inputs are routed to downstream targets are poorly understood. The superior colliculus mediates a set of innate behaviors, receiving input from >30 retinal ganglion cell types and projecting to behaviorally important targets including the pulvinar and parabigeminal nucleus. Combining transsynaptic circuit tracing with in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiological recordings, we observed a projection-specific logic where each collicular output pathway sampled a distinct set of retinal inputs. Neurons projecting to the pulvinar or the parabigeminal nucleus showed strongly biased sampling from four cell types each, while six others innervated both pathways. The visual response properties of retinal ganglion cells correlated well with those of their disynaptic targets. These findings open the possibility that projection-specific sampling of retinal inputs forms a basis for the selective triggering of behaviors by the superior colliculus.

scholarly journals Molecular classification of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells links genes to cell types to behavior

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Kölsch ◽  
Joshua Hahn ◽  
Anna Sappington ◽  
Manuel Stemmer ◽  
António M. Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Molecular Classification ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Retinal Ganglion

SummaryRetinal ganglion cells (RGCs) form an array of feature detectors, which convey visual information to central brain regions. Characterizing RGC diversity is required to understand the logic of the underlying functional segregation. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we systematically classified RGCs in adult and larval zebrafish, thereby identifying marker genes for at least 33 stable and transient cell types. We used this dataset to engineer transgenic driver lines, enabling experimental access to specific RGC types. Strikingly, expression of one or few transcription factors often predicts dendrite morphologies and axonal projections to specific tectal layers and extratectal targets. In vivo calcium imaging revealed that molecularly defined RGCs exhibit highly specific functional tuning. Finally, chemogenetic ablation of eomesa+ RGCs, which comprise melanopsin-expressing types with projections to a small subset of central targets, selectively impaired phototaxis. Together, our study establishes a framework for systematically studying the functional architecture of the visual system.

scholarly journals Spatial receptive field properties of rat retinal ganglion cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 403-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
WALTER F. HEINE ◽  
CHRISTOPHER L. PASSAGLIA
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
X And Y Cells ◽  
Y Cells

AbstractThe rat is a popular animal model for vision research, yet there is little quantitative information about the physiological properties of the cells that provide its brain with visual input, the retinal ganglion cells. It is not clear whether rats even possess the full complement of ganglion cell types found in other mammals. Since such information is important for evaluating rodent models of visual disease and elucidating the function of homologous and heterologous cells in different animals, we recorded from rat ganglion cells in vivo and systematically measured their spatial receptive field (RF) properties using spot, annulus, and grating patterns. Most of the recorded cells bore likeness to cat X and Y cells, exhibiting brisk responses, center-surround RFs, and linear or nonlinear spatial summation. The others resembled various types of mammalian W cell, including local-edge-detector cells, suppressed-by-contrast cells, and an unusual type with an ON–OFF surround. They generally exhibited sluggish responses, larger RFs, and lower responsiveness. The peak responsivity of brisk-nonlinear (Y-type) cells was around twice that of brisk-linear (X-type) cells and several fold that of sluggish cells. The RF size of brisk-linear and brisk-nonlinear cells was indistinguishable, with average center and surround diameters of 5.6 ± 1.3 and 26.4 ± 11.3 deg, respectively. In contrast, the center diameter of recorded sluggish cells averaged 12.8 ± 7.9 deg. The homogeneous RF size of rat brisk cells is unlike that of cat X and Y cells, and its implication regarding the putative roles of these two ganglion cell types in visual signaling is discussed.

scholarly journals A method for single-neuron chronic recording from the retina in awake mice

Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 360 (6396) ◽  
pp. 1447-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guosong Hong ◽  
Tian-Ming Fu ◽  
Mu Qiao ◽  
Robert D. Viveros ◽  
Xiao Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Chronic Recording ◽  
The Brain

The retina, which processes visual information and sends it to the brain, is an excellent model for studying neural circuitry. It has been probed extensively ex vivo but has been refractory to chronic in vivo electrophysiology. We report a nonsurgical method to achieve chronically stable in vivo recordings from single retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in awake mice. We developed a noncoaxial intravitreal injection scheme in which injected mesh electronics unrolls inside the eye and conformally coats the highly curved retina without compromising normal eye functions. The method allows 16-channel recordings from multiple types of RGCs with stable responses to visual stimuli for at least 2 weeks, and reveals circadian rhythms in RGC responses over multiple day/night cycles.

scholarly journals Melanopsin+RGCs Are fully Resistant to NMDA-Induced Excitotoxicity

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 3012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Vidal-Villegas ◽  
Johnny Di Pierdomenico ◽  
Juan A Miralles de Imperial-Ollero ◽  
Arturo Ortín-Martínez ◽  
Francisco M Nadal-Nicolás ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intravitreal Injection ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Pou Domain ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Sd Oct

We studied short- and long-term effects of intravitreal injection of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) on melanopsin-containing (m+) and non-melanopsin-containing (Brn3a+) retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In adult SD-rats, the left eye received a single intravitreal injection of 5µL of 100nM NMDA. At 3 and 15 months, retinal thickness was measured in vivo using Spectral Domain-Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT). Ex vivo analyses were done at 3, 7, or 14 days or 15 months after damage. Whole-mounted retinas were immunolabelled for brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 3A (Brn3a) and melanopsin (m), the total number of Brn3a+RGCs and m+RGCs were quantified, and their topography represented. In control retinas, the mean total numbers of Brn3a+RGCs and m+RGCs were 78,903 ± 3572 and 2358 ± 144 (mean ± SD; n = 10), respectively. In the NMDA injected retinas, Brn3a+RGCs numbers diminished to 49%, 28%, 24%, and 19%, at 3, 7, 14 days, and 15 months, respectively. There was no further loss between 7 days and 15 months. The number of immunoidentified m+RGCs decreased significantly at 3 days, recovered between 3 and 7 days, and were back to normal thereafter. OCT measurements revealed a significant thinning of the left retinas at 3 and 15 months. Intravitreal injections of NMDA induced within a week a rapid loss of 72% of Brn3a+RGCs, a transient downregulation of melanopsin expression (but not m+RGC death), and a thinning of the inner retinal layers.

scholarly journals Visual properties of human retinal ganglion cells

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246952
Author(s):  
Katja Reinhard ◽  
Thomas A. Münch
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Human Retina ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Light Responses ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
The Brain

The retinal output is the sole source of visual information for the brain. Studies in non-primate mammals estimate that this information is carried by several dozens of retinal ganglion cell types, each informing the brain about different aspects of a visual scene. Even though morphological studies of primate retina suggest a similar diversity of ganglion cell types, research has focused on the function of only a few cell types. In human retina, recordings from individual cells are anecdotal or focus on a small subset of identified types. Here, we present the first systematic ex-vivo recording of light responses from 342 ganglion cells in human retinas obtained from donors. We find a great variety in the human retinal output in terms of preferences for positive or negative contrast, spatio-temporal frequency encoding, contrast sensitivity, and speed tuning. Some human ganglion cells showed similar response behavior as known cell types in other primate retinas, while we also recorded light responses that have not been described previously. This first extensive description of the human retinal output should facilitate interpretation of primate data and comparison to other mammalian species, and it lays the basis for the use of ex-vivo human retina for in-vitro analysis of novel treatment approaches.

scholarly journals Visual properties of human retinal ganglion cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Reinhard ◽  
Thomas A. Münch
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cell ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Human Retina ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Light Responses ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
The Brain

The retinal output is the sole source of visual information for the brain. Studies in non-primate mammals estimate that this information is carried by several dozens of retinal ganglion cell types, each informing the brain about different aspects of a visual scene. Even though morphological studies of primate retina suggest a similar diversity of ganglion cell types, research has focused on the function of only a few cell types. In human retina, recordings from individual cells are anecdotal or focus on a small subset of identified types. Here, we present the first systematic ex-vivo recording of light responses from 342 ganglion cells in human retinas obtained from donors. We find a great variety in the human retinal output in terms of preferences for positive or negative contrast, spatio-temporal frequency encoding, contrast sensitivity, and speed tuning. Some human ganglion cells showed similar response behavior as known cell types in other primates, while we also recorded light responses that have not been described previously. This first extensive description of the human retinal output should facilitate interpretation of primate data and comparison to other mammalian species, and it lays the basis for the use of ex-vivo human retina for in-vitro analysis of novel treatment approaches.

scholarly journals A potential role for somatostatin signaling in regulating retinal neurogenesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Weir ◽  
Dong Won Kim ◽  
Seth Blackshaw
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Pharmacological Agents ◽  
Embryonic Mouse ◽  
Relative Fraction ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Retinal Explants ◽  
Retinal Neurogenesis

AbstractNeuropeptides have been reported to regulate progenitor proliferation and neurogenesis in the central nervous system. However, these studies have typically been conducted using pharmacological agents in ex vivo preparations, and in vivo evidence for their developmental function is generally lacking. Recent scRNA-Seq studies have identified multiple neuropeptides and their receptors as being selectively expressed in neurogenic progenitors of the embryonic mouse and human retina. This includes Sstr2, whose ligand somatostatin is transiently expressed by immature retinal ganglion cells. By analyzing retinal explants treated with selective ligands that target these receptors, we found that Sstr2-dependent somatostatin signaling induces a modest, dose-dependent inhibition of photoreceptor generation, while correspondingly increasing the relative fraction of primary progenitor cells. These effects were confirmed by scRNA-Seq analysis of retinal explants but abolished in Sstr2-deficient retinas. Although no changes in the relative fraction of primary progenitors or photoreceptor precursors were observed in Sstr2-deficient retinas in vivo, scRNA-Seq analysis demonstrated accelerated differentiation of neurogenic progenitors. We conclude that, while Sstr2 signaling may act to negatively regulate retinal neurogenesis in combination with other retinal ganglion cell-derived secreted factors such as Shh, it is dispensable for normal retinal development.

scholarly journals An alternative approach to produce versatile retinal organoids with accelerated ganglion cell development

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip E. Wagstaff ◽  
Anneloor L. M. A. ten Asbroek ◽  
Jacoline B. ten Brink ◽  
Nomdo M. Jansonius ◽  
Arthur A. B. Bergen
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Retinal Cell ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
In Vivo Models ◽  
Alternative Approach

AbstractGenetically complex ocular neuropathies, such as glaucoma, are a major cause of visual impairment worldwide. There is a growing need to generate suitable human representative in vitro and in vivo models, as there is no effective treatment available once damage has occured. Retinal organoids are increasingly being used for experimental gene therapy, stem cell replacement therapy and small molecule therapy. There are multiple protocols for the development of retinal organoids available, however, one potential drawback of the current methods is that the organoids can take between 6 weeks and 12 months on average to develop and mature, depending on the specific cell type wanted. Here, we describe and characterise a protocol focused on the generation of retinal ganglion cells within an accelerated four week timeframe without any external small molecules or growth factors. Subsequent long term cultures yield fully differentiated organoids displaying all major retinal cell types. RPE, Horizontal, Amacrine and Photoreceptors cells were generated using external factors to maintain lamination.

scholarly journals Regulation of retinal neurogenesis by somatostatin signaling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Weir ◽  
Dong Won Kim ◽  
Seth Blackshaw
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Pharmacological Agents ◽  
Embryonic Mouse ◽  
Relative Fraction ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Retinal Explants ◽  
Retinal Neurogenesis

AbstractNeuropeptides have been reported to regulate progenitor proliferation and neurogenesis in the central nervous system. However, these studies have typically been conducted using pharmacological agents in ex vivo preparations, and in vivo evidence for their developmental function is generally lacking. Recent scRNA-Seq studies have identified multiple neuropeptides and their receptors as being selectively expressed in neurogenic progenitors of the embryonic mouse and human retina. This includes Sstr2, whose ligand somatostatin is transiently expressed by immature retinal ganglion cells. By analyzing retinal explants treated with selective ligands that target these receptors, we found that Sstr2-dependent somatostatin signaling induces a dose-dependent inhibition of photoreceptor generation while increasing the relative fraction of primary progenitor cells. These effects were confirmed by scRNA-Seq analysis of retinal explants and abolished in Sstr2-deficient retinas. Although no changes in the relative fraction of primary progenitors or photoreceptor precursors were observed in Sstr2-deficient retinas in vivo, scRNA-Seq analysis demonstrated accelerated differentiation of neurogenic progenitors. We conclude that Sstr2 signaling may act to negatively regulate retinal neurogenesis in combination with other retinal ganglion cell-derived secreted factors such as Shh, although in vivo Sstr2 is dispensable for normal retinal development.

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