Morphology and physiology of the polyaxonal amacrine cells in the rabbit retina

Völgyi, Béla; Xin, Daiyan; Amarillo, Yimy; Bloomfield, Stewart A.

doi:10.1002/cne.1373

Cited by 76 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…With dendrites in ON and OFF sublamina of the IPL, A1 amacrine cells can receive input from both ON and OFF bipolar cells and should thus inherit centers and surrounds of both types. In previous receptive field studies using small spots and bars of light, an antagonistic surround was found in some rabbit polyaxonal amacrine cells (Volgyi et al, 2001), but not in primate A1 amacrine cells (Stafford & Dacey, 1997). However, these small stimuli are not ideally suited to measure center-surround interactions because of the large size and low gain of the surround.…”

Section: A1 Center-surround Receptive Field Structurementioning

confidence: 96%

“…The axons are thin, sparsely branching, and along their length are swellings that resemble presynaptic boutons (Fig 1C;Dacey, 1989). Intracellular recordings from A1 amacrine cells, and similar amacrine cells in rabbit retina (Taylor, 1996;Volgyi et al, 2001) revealed that they depolarize transiently and fire action potentials at light onset and offset. The A1 receptive field mapped with small spots and bars is approximately the same size as its dendritic field (Stafford & Dacey, 1997) leading to the hypothesis that A1 cells receive inputs to their dendrites causing depolarization and initiation of action potentials, which then propagate down the axons and across the retina.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…It is established that a number of large field amacrine cell types possess morphologically distinct dendritic and axonal components (Dacey, 1988(Dacey, , 1989(Dacey, , 1990Famiglietti, 1992aFamiglietti, , 1992bFamiglietti, , 1992cVolgyi et al, 2001;Witkovsky, 2004), but much less is known about the physiological significance of these anatomical structures. The A1 axon-bearing amacrine cell of the macaque monkey retina is an example of such a cell type (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional polarity of dendrites and axons of primate A1 amacrine cells

2007

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The A1 cell is an axon-bearing amacrine cell of the primate retina with a diffusely stratified, moderately branched dendritic tree (~400 µm diameter). Axons arise from proximal dendrites forming a second concentric, larger arborization (>4 mm diameter) of thin processes with boutonlike swellings along their length. A1 cells are ON-OFF transient cells that fire a brief high frequency burst of action potentials in response to light (Stafford & Dacey, 1997). It has been hypothesized that A1 cells receive local input to their dendrites, with action potentials propagating output via the axons across the retina, serving a global inhibitory function. To explore this hypothesis we recorded intracellularly from A1 cells in an in vitro macaque monkey retina preparation. A1 cells have an antagonistic center-surround receptive field structure for the ON and OFF components of the light response. Blocking the ON pathway with L-AP4 eliminated ON center responses but not OFF center responses or ON or OFF surround responses. Blocking GABAergic inhibition with picrotoxin increased response amplitudes without affecting receptive field structure. TTX abolished action potentials, with little effect on the sub-threshold light response or basic receptive field structure. We also used multi-photon laser scanning microscopy to record light-induced calcium transients in morphologically identified dendrites and axons of A1 cells. TTX completely abolished such calcium transients in the axons but not in the dendrites. Together these results support the current model of A1 function, whereby the dendritic tree receives synaptic input that determines the center-surround receptive field; and action potentials arise in the axons, which propagate away from the dendritic field across the retina.

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Section: A1 Center-surround Receptive Field Structurementioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional polarity of dendrites and axons of primate A1 amacrine cells

2007

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“…1c). The cells in these clusters could be ganglion cells or, possibly, spiking amacrine cells (Stafford and Dacey, 1997;Volgyi et al, 2001). A ganglion cell can be identified by the presence of a single axon.…”

Section: Functional Classification Of Neuronsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Characterization of a Y-Like Primate Retinal Ganglion Cell Type

Petrusca

Grivich²,

Sher³

et al. 2007

J. Neurosci.

154

227

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The primate retina communicates visual information to the brain via a set of parallel pathways that originate from at least 22 anatomically distinct types of retinal ganglion cells. Knowledge of the physiological properties of these ganglion cell types is of critical importance for understanding the functioning of the primate visual system. Nonetheless, the physiological properties of only a handful of retinal ganglion cell types have been studied in detail. Here we show, using a newly developed multielectrode array system for the large-scale recording of neural activity, the existence of a physiologically distinct population of ganglion cells in the primate retina with distinctive visual response properties. These cells, which we will refer to as upsilon cells, are characterized by large receptive fields, rapid and transient responses to light, and significant nonlinearities in their spatial summation. Based on the measured properties of these cells, we speculate that they correspond to the smooth/large radiate cells recently identified morphologically in the primate retina and may therefore provide visual input to both the lateral geniculate nucleus and the superior colliculus. We further speculate that the upsilon cells may be the primate retina's counterparts of the Y-cells observed in the cat and other mammalian species.

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“…For example, our study suggests that gain control over the receptive field center arises from a bipolar cell mechanism, but this mechanism could not explain wide-field gain control signals. Wide-field signals must arise from a distinct amacrine cell mechanism, because only amacrine cells are capable of transmitting signals over such long distances (Stafford and Dacey, 1997;Cook and McReynolds, 1998;Demb et al, 1999;Taylor, 1999;Flores-Herr et al, 2001;Volgyi et al, 2001). These amacrine cells are themselves driven by bipolar cells, and so it is not surprising that the spatial tuning of gain-control mechanisms would be similar over the ganglion cell receptive field center and periphery Victor, 1978, 1979).…”

Section: Two Spatial Mechanisms For Contrast Gain Control In Ganglionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cellular Basis for Contrast Gain Control over the Receptive Field Center of Mammalian Retinal Ganglion Cells

Beaudoin¹,

Borghuis²,

Demb³

2007

J. Neurosci.

114

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Retinal ganglion cells fire spikes to an appropriate contrast presented over their receptive field center. These center responses undergo dynamic changes in sensitivity depending on the ongoing level of contrast, a process known as "contrast gain control." Extracellular recordings suggested that gain control is driven by a single wide-field mechanism, extending across the center and beyond, that depends on inhibitory interneurons: amacrine cells. However, recordings in salamander suggested that the excitatory bipolar cells, which drive the center, may themselves show gain control independently of amacrine cell mechanisms. Here, we tested in mammalian ganglion cells whether amacrine cells are critical for gain control over the receptive field center. We made extracellular and whole-cell recordings of guinea pig Y-type cells in vitro and quantified the gain change between contrasts using a linear-nonlinear analysis. For spikes, tripling contrast reduced gain by ϳ40%. With spikes blocked, ganglion cells showed similar levels of gain control in membrane currents and voltages and under conditions of low and high calcium buffering: tripling contrast reduced gain by ϳ20 -25%. Gain control persisted under voltage-clamp conditions that minimize inhibitory conductances and pharmacological conditions that block inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors. Gain control depended on adequate stimulation, not of ganglion cells but of presynaptic bipolar cells. Furthermore, horizontal cell measurements showed a lack of gain control in photoreceptor synaptic release. Thus, the mechanism for gain control over the ganglion cell receptive field center, as measured in the subthreshold response, originates in the presynaptic bipolar cells and does not require amacrine cell signaling.

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Morphology and physiology of the polyaxonal amacrine cells in the rabbit retina

Cited by 76 publications

References 31 publications

Functional polarity of dendrites and axons of primate A1 amacrine cells

Functional polarity of dendrites and axons of primate A1 amacrine cells

Identification and Characterization of a Y-Like Primate Retinal Ganglion Cell Type

Cellular Basis for Contrast Gain Control over the Receptive Field Center of Mammalian Retinal Ganglion Cells

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