Specificity of Cone Inputs to Macaque Retinal Ganglion Cells

The specificity of cone inputs to ganglion cells has implications for the development of retinal connections and the nature of information transmitted to higher areas of the brain. We introduce a rapid and precise method for measuring signs and magnitudes of cone inputs to visual neurons. Colors of stimuli are modulated around circumferences of three color planes in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. For each neuron, the projection of the preferred vector in each plane was estimated by averaging the response phases to clockwise and counterclockwise modulation. The signs and weights of cone inputs were derived directly from the preferred vectors. The efficiency of the method enables us to measure cone inputs at different temporal frequencies and short-wavelength-sensitive (S) cone adaptation levels. The results show that S-cone inputs to the parvocellular and magnocellular ganglion cells are negligible, which implies underlying connectional specificity in the retinal circuitry.

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Visual Neurons in the Superior Colliculus Innervated by Islet2+ or Islet2− Retinal Ganglion Cells Display Distinct Tuning Properties

Frontiers in Neural Circuits ◽

10.3389/fncir.2017.00073 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rachel B. Kay ◽

Jason W. Triplett

Keyword(s):

Superior Colliculus ◽

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Visual Neurons

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Photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells control the information rate of the optic nerve

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1810701115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (50) ◽

pp. E11817-E11826 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Nina Milosavljevic ◽

Riccardo Storchi ◽

Cyril G. Eleftheriou ◽

Andrea Colins ◽

Rasmus S. Petersen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optic Nerve ◽

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Information Flow ◽

Information Transfer ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Ambient Light ◽

Visual Responses ◽

Light Irradiance ◽

The Brain

Information transfer in the brain relies upon energetically expensive spiking activity of neurons. Rates of information flow should therefore be carefully optimized, but mechanisms to control this parameter are poorly understood. We address this deficit in the visual system, where ambient light (irradiance) is predictive of the amount of information reaching the eye and ask whether a neural measure of irradiance can therefore be used to proactively control information flow along the optic nerve. We first show that firing rates for the retina’s output neurons [retinal ganglion cells (RGCs)] scale with irradiance and are positively correlated with rates of information and the gain of visual responses. Irradiance modulates firing in the absence of any other visual signal confirming that this is a genuine response to changing ambient light. Irradiance-driven changes in firing are observed across the population of RGCs (including in both ON and OFF units) but are disrupted in mice lacking melanopsin [the photopigment of irradiance-coding intrinsically photosensitive RGCs (ipRGCs)] and can be induced under steady light exposure by chemogenetic activation of ipRGCs. Artificially elevating firing by chemogenetic excitation of ipRGCs is sufficient to increase information flow by increasing the gain of visual responses, indicating that enhanced firing is a cause of increased information transfer at higher irradiance. Our results establish a retinal circuitry driving changes in RGC firing as an active response to alterations in ambient light to adjust the amount of visual information transmitted to the brain.

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

Science ◽

10.1126/science.aas9160 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 360 (6396) ◽

pp. 1447-1451 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

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.

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Retinal ganglion cells and the magnocellular, parvocellular, and koniocellular subcortical visual pathways from the eye to the brain

Handbook of Clinical Neurology - Neurology of Vision and Visual Disorders ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-821377-3.00018-0 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 31-50

Author(s):

Samuel G. Solomon

Keyword(s):

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Visual Pathways ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

The Brain ◽

Subcortical Visual Pathways

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The Biomechanical Response of Normal and Glaucoma Human Sclera

ASME 2010 Summer Bioengineering Conference, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/sbc2010-19354 ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Baptiste Coudrillier ◽

Kristin M. Myers ◽

Thao D. Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Material Properties ◽

Visual Information ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Progressive Degeneration ◽

Biomechanical Response ◽

Elevated Intraocular Pressure ◽

The Relationship ◽

The Brain

By 2010, 60 million people will have glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide [1]. The disease is characterized by a progressive degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (RGC), a type of neuron that transmits visual information to the brain. It is well know that elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a risk factor in the damage to the RGCs [3–5], but the relationship between the mechanical properties of the ocular connective tissue and how it affects cellular function is not well characterized. The cornea and the sclera are collage-rich structures that comprise the outer load-bearing shell of the eye. Their preferentially aligned collagen lamellae provide mechanical strength to resist ocular expansion. Previous uniaxial tension studies suggest that altered viscoelastic material properties of the eye wall play a role in glaucomatous damage [6].

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Next-Generation Techniques for Analysis of Lamina Cribrosa Microstructure

ASME 2012 Summer Bioengineering Conference, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/sbc2012-80523 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

C. Ross Ethier ◽

Richie Abel ◽

E. A. Sander ◽

John G. Flanagan ◽

Michael Girard

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Intraocular Pressure ◽

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Visual Information ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Lamina Cribrosa ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Irreversible Damage ◽

Ocular Disorders ◽

The Brain

Glaucoma describes a group of potentially blinding ocular disorders, afflicting c. 60 million people worldwide. Of these, c. 8 million are bilaterally blind, estimated to increase to 11 million by 2020. The central event in glaucoma is slow and irreversible damage of retinal ganglion cells, responsible for carrying visual information from the retina to the brain (Figure 1). Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a risk factor for glaucoma1–4, and significant, sustained IOP reduction is unequivocally beneficial in the clinical management of glaucoma patients2, 3, 5. Unfortunately, we do not understand how elevated IOP leads to the loss of retinal ganglion cells.

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Molecular codes for cell type specification in Brn3 retinal ganglion cells

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1618551114 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 114 (20) ◽

pp. E3974-E3983 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Szilard Sajgo ◽

Miruna Georgiana Ghinia ◽

Matthew Brooks ◽

Friedrich Kretschmer ◽

Katherine Chuang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Visual Information ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Neuronal Cell ◽

Neuronal Morphology ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Cell Type ◽

Type Specification ◽

The Brain ◽

Combinatorial Code

Visual information is conveyed from the eye to the brain by distinct types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). It is largely unknown how RGCs acquire their defining morphological and physiological features and connect to upstream and downstream synaptic partners. The three Brn3/Pou4f transcription factors (TFs) participate in a combinatorial code for RGC type specification, but their exact molecular roles are still unclear. We use deep sequencing to define (i) transcriptomes of Brn3a- and/or Brn3b-positive RGCs, (ii) Brn3a- and/or Brn3b-dependent RGC transcripts, and (iii) transcriptomes of retinorecipient areas of the brain at developmental stages relevant for axon guidance, dendrite formation, and synaptogenesis. We reveal a combinatorial code of TFs, cell surface molecules, and determinants of neuronal morphology that is differentially expressed in specific RGC populations and selectively regulated by Brn3a and/or Brn3b. This comprehensive molecular code provides a basis for understanding neuronal cell type specification in RGCs.

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Effects of Iron and Zinc on Mitochondria: Potential Mechanisms of Glaucomatous Injury

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology ◽

10.3389/fcell.2021.720288 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Jiahui Tang ◽

Yehong Zhuo ◽

Yiqing Li

Keyword(s):

Ganglion Cell ◽

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Visual Information ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Cell Damage ◽

Current View ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Mitochondrial Homeostasis ◽

Iron And Zinc ◽

The Brain

Glaucoma is the most substantial cause of irreversible blinding, which is accompanied by progressive retinal ganglion cell damage. Retinal ganglion cells are energy-intensive neurons that connect the brain and retina, and depend on mitochondrial homeostasis to transduce visual information through the brain. As cofactors that regulate many metabolic signals, iron and zinc have attracted increasing attention in studies on neurons and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we summarize the research connecting iron, zinc, neuronal mitochondria, and glaucomatous injury, with the aim of updating and expanding the current view of how retinal ganglion cells degenerate in glaucoma, which can reveal novel potential targets for neuroprotection.

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Astrocytes Regulate the Development and Maturation of Retinal Ganglion Cells Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

10.1101/428631 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Kirstin B. Langer ◽

Ridhima Vij ◽

Sarah K. Ohlemacher ◽

Akshayalakshmi Sridhar ◽

Clarisse M. Fligor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽

Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽

Ganglion Cells ◽

Retinal Ganglion ◽

Functional Maturation ◽

The Many ◽

Morphological Maturation ◽

The Brain ◽

Over Time

SummaryRetinal ganglion cells (RGCs) form the connection between the eye and the brain, with this connectivity disrupted in numerous blinding disorders. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability to derive RGCs from hPSCs; however these cells exhibited some characteristics that indicated a limited state of maturation. Among the many factors known to influence RGC development in the retina, astrocytes are known to play a significant role in their functional maturation. Thus, efforts of the current study examined the functional maturation of hPSC-derived RGCs, including the ability of astrocytes to modulate this developmental timeline. Morphological and functional properties of RGCs were found to increase over time, with astrocytes significantly accelerating the functional maturation of hPSC-derived RGCs. The results of this study are the first of its kind to extensively study the functional and morphological maturation of RGCs in vitro, including the effects of astrocytes upon the maturation of hPSC-derived RGCs.

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