Abstract
SUMMARYVisual motion information is computed by parallel On and Off pathways in the retina, which lead to On and Off types of starburst amacrine cells (SACs). The approximate mirror symmetry between this pair of cell types suggests that On and Off pathways might compute motion using analogous mechanisms. To test this idea, we reconstructed On SACs and On bipolar cells (BCs) from serial electron microscopic images of a mouse retina. We defined a new On BC type in the course of classifying On BCs. Through quantitative contact analysis, we found evidence that sustained and transient On BC types are wired to On SAC dendrites at different distances from the SAC soma, mirroring our previous wiring diagram for the Off BC-SAC circuit. Our finding is consistent with the hypothesis that On and Off pathways contain parallel correlation-type motion detectors.
Highlights
The starburst amacrine cell (SAC) is a key player in retinal computation of the direction of a moving stimulus
Contact analysis is consistent with a wiring diagram in which BC7 prefers to synapse closer to the On SAC soma and BC5 prefers to synapse farther from the soma (Figure 1C)
Most of the available evidence suggests that transient bipolar cells (BCs) types generally arborize near the inner plexiform layer (IPL) center and sustained BC types near the IPL edges (Baden et al, 2013; Borghuis et al, 2013)
Summary
The starburst amacrine cell (SAC) is a key player in retinal computation of the direction of a moving stimulus. Ablation of SACs impairs the optokinetic reflex, a behavior that depends on computation of visual motion (Yoshida et al, 2001; Amthor et al, 2002) Both ablation (Yoshida et al, 2001; Amthor et al, 2002) and reversible inactivation (Vlasits et al, 2014) of SACs reduce direction selective (DS) responses in ganglion cells, which receive synaptic input from SACs. SAC dendrites are preferentially activated by visual stimuli that move outward from the soma to the dendritic tips (Euler et al, 2002; Lee and Zhou, 2006; Hausselt et al, 2007). SAC biophysics causes excitatory input to SACs to have effects that depend on dendritic location (Tukker et al, 2004; Hausselt et al, 2007; Oesch and Taylor, 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
