Cat Retinal Cells Research Articles

Number and distribution of putative cholinergic neurons in the cat retina

The number and distribution of putative cholinergic amacrine cells in cat retina was demonstrated by immunocytochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the synthesizing enzyme for acetylcholine. In whole mount preparations of the cat retina ChAT-immunoreactive neurons were found in the inner nuclear layer (presumably amacrine cells) and in the ganglion cell layer (presumably displaced amacrine cells). The density of ChAT-labelled neurons increased from about 280 cells/mm 2 in peripheral retina, to about 2750 cells/mm 2 in the central area. There were always more ChAT-positive cells in the ganglion cell layer (50–70%) than in the amacrine cell layer. Two narrow dendritic strata were labelled in the inner plexiform layer.

Amacrine cells in scotopic vision.

Signals from rod bipolar cells of cat retina are processed by a variety of rod amacrine cells before finally arriving at ganglion cells. Three of these rod amacrine cells (AII, A13, and A17 ) have been studied at the physiological and anatomical levels; the results suggest that each carries out a unique visual function: AII cells appear to quicken the response time of the rod system in the mid-scotopic range, while A17 cells may increase the light-gathering area of rod bipolars near visual threshold. Stimulation of A13 cells may disinhibit ganglion cells, thus heightening their responsiveness at low levels of illumination.

Temporal pattern discrimination in the cat's retinal cells and Markov system models

Markov system theory is applied to temporal pattern sensitivity in nervous systems. First, a Markov system model is given to describe the temporal pattern sensitivity in single neurons with one input and one output. This is extended to a two-input one-output system. In both cases the behavior of input-output relations is estimated by using Shannon's information theory in single-access and multiple-access channels. The interaction mechanisms between excitatory and inhibitory input sequences in single neurons are also described. Finally, to characterize temporal pattern sensitivity in the visual pathway, the Markov system approach is introduced using three types of statistical spot stimuli with different second-order statistics (adjacent interstimulus interval): type 1 with positive, type 2 with negative correlation, and type 3 with independent intervals, but identical first-order statistics (mean, variance, and histogram in the interstimulus intervals). The differences in response to these three types of stimuli, i.e. the differences in interspike interval distribution, can be used to classify cat ganglion cells into two groups, type L and type N. A type L cell has an identical histogram in interspike intervals for all three stimuli (no sensitivity to the temporal pattern); on the other hand, a type N cell has different histograms depending on the type of stimulus and is therefore highly sensitive to the temporal pattern. Different features between type L and type N cells were stimulated by using the Markov system model having 2×2 state transition matrixes. By giving distinctive features to the state transition matrices, the interspike interval histograms of the model could be made to agree well with those of type L and type N cells.

Interactions between ganglion cells in cat retina.

ArticlesInteractions between ganglion cells in cat retinaD. N. MastronardeD. N. MastronardePublished Online:01 Feb 1983https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1983.49.2.350MoreSectionsPDF (3 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByPlasticity of Retinal Gap Junctions: Roles in Synaptic Physiology and DiseaseAnnual Review of Vision Science, Vol. 4, No. 1The dynamic receptive fields of retinal ganglion cellsProgress in Retinal and Eye ResearchFunctional Consequences of Neuronal Divergence Within the Retinogeniculate PathwayChun-I Yeh, Carl R. Stoelzel, Chong Weng, and Jose-Manuel Alonso1 April 2009 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 101, No. 4Fidelity of the Ensemble Code for Visual Motion in Primate RetinaE. S. Frechette, A. Sher, M. I. Grivich, D. Petrusca, A. M. Litke, and E. J. Chichilnisky1 July 2005 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 94, No. 1The type 1 polyaxonal amacrine cells of the rabbit retina: A tracer-coupling study23 June 2004 | Visual Neuroscience, Vol. 21, No. 02Firing coincidences between neighboring retinal ganglion cells: inside information or epiphenomenon?Biosystems, Vol. 67, No. 1-3Chapther 9 Divergence and reconvergence: multielectrode analysis of feedforward connections in the visual systemChapter 14 Synaptic mechanisms shaping the light light-response in retinal ganglion cellsSpecificity and Strength of Retinogeniculate ConnectionsW. Martin Usrey, John B. Reppas, and R. Clay Reid1 December 1999 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 82, No. 6Correlated Firing in Rabbit Retinal Ganglion CellsSteven H. DeVries1 February 1999 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 81, No. 2Temporal aspects of neural coding in the retina and lateral geniculate9 July 2009 | Network: Computation in Neural Systems, Vol. 10, No. 4Interactions of Inhibition and Excitation in the Light-Evoked Currents of X Type Retinal Ganglion CellsEthan D. Cohen1 December 1998 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 80, No. 6Mechanisms of Concerted Firing among Retinal Ganglion CellsNeuron, Vol. 20, No. 3Patterns of neuronal coupling in the retinaProgress in Retinal and Eye Research, Vol. 13, No. 1Many diverse types of retinal neurons show tracer coupling when injected with biocytin or NeurobiotinNeuroscience Letters, Vol. 125, No. 2NMDA receptor antagonists disrupt the retinotectal topographic mapNeuron, Vol. 3, No. 4Correlated firing of retinal ganglion cellsTrends in Neurosciences, Vol. 12, No. 2Chapter 6 Neuron network in catfish retina: 1968–1987Progress in Retinal Research, Vol. 7Chapter 9 New perspectives in retinal organisationProgress in Retinal Research, Vol. 4 More from this issue > Volume 49Issue 2February 1983Pages 350-365 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1983 the American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1983.49.2.350PubMed6300342History Published online 1 February 1983 Published in print 1 February 1983 Metrics

Reduction in numbers of large ganglion cells in cat retina following intravitreous injection of antibodies

Antibodies were prepared against large ganglion cells isolated from bovine retina and injected into the vitreous chamber of 1 eye in 6 adult cats. The other eye of each cat received either a control pre-immune γ-globulin injection or was untreated. After a survival time of 9–86 days, ganglion cell density was assessed from Nissl-stained retinal whole-mounts. In each cat, there were fewer large ganglion cells (α-cells) in the immunoglobulin-injected retina than in the control retina. The reduction in large ganglion cells occurred in patches adjacent to areas of approximately normal large ganglion cell density. Counts of the number of large ganglion cells in both eyes of the 6 cats indicated that the immunoglobulin injected eyes had from 8% to 61% (mean 32%) fewer large ganglion cells than the paired control eyes. This was significantly greater than the difference in the number of large ganglion cells between pairs of normal or control-injected eyes. The magnitude of the effect was not related to the survival time following the immunoglobulin injection. Cell size measures of all ganglion cells in selected areas of retina indicated that the small ganglion cells were unaffected by the antibodies. However, there was a suggestion that the largest of the medium size ganglion cells were affected in addition to the large ganglion cells. Counts of total ganglion cells per unit area in affected regions of retina revealed a reduced overall density, suggesting that the ganglion cells were lost rather than decreased in size. These results indicate that antibodies to the large ganglion cells can be used to reduce the number of large ganglion cells (α-cells) in the cat retina. Since these cells correspond to the Y-cell functional class of ganglion cells in the cat retina, the antibodies may provide a useful tool for studying Y-cell function in the visual pathways.

Phase of responses to moving sinusoidal gratings in cells of cat retina and lateral geniculate nucleus.

Phase of responses to moving sinusoidal gratings in cells of cat retina and lateral geniculate nucleus.B B Lee, A Elepfandt, and V VirsuB B Lee, A Elepfandt, and V VirsuPublished Online:01 May 1981https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1981.45.5.807MoreSectionsPDF (2 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByTemporal modulation sensitivity of tree shrew retinal ganglion cells18 November 2003 | Visual Neuroscience, Vol. 20, No. 04Temporal and Spatial Response to Second-Order Stimuli in Cat Area 18Isabelle Mareschal, and Curtis L. Baker1 December 1998 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 80, No. 6Visual cortical receptive fields in monkey and cat: Spatial and temporal phase transfer functionVision Research, Vol. 29, No. 10Spatial summation by simple cells in the striate cortex of the catExperimental Brain Research, Vol. 66, No. 3Distortion products in geniculate X-cells: A physiological basis for masking by spatially modulated gratings?Vision Research, Vol. 27, No. 8The receptive field organization of X-cells in the cat: Spatiotemporal coupling and asymmetryVision Research, Vol. 24, No. 6Bimodal receptive fields of cat retinal ganglion cellsVision Research, Vol. 23, No. 12 More from this issue > Volume 45Issue 5May 1981Pages 807-17 https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1981.45.5.807PubMed7241170History Published online 1 May 1981 Published in print 1 May 1981 Metrics

Toward a functional architecture of the retina: serial reconstruction of adjacent ganglion cells.

Twenty adjacent ganglion cells in cat retina were partially reconstructed from electron micrographs of serial thin sections. Cells were classified by size and by dendritic branching patterns as alpha, beta, or gamma cells. The alpha and beta cells were further subdivided by differences in the laminar distribution of their dendrites in the inner plexiform layer. The distribution of synaptic contacts on the cells was distinctive for each of the five major classes. Contacts on the alpha and beta cells were mainly on the dendrites in the sublamina in which a cell's major dendritic arborization was contained.

Interplexiform cell in cat retina: identification by uptake of gamma-[3H]aminobutyric acid and serial reconstruction.

After intravitreal injection of gamma-[3H] aminobutyric acid (GAB), 2% of the neurons at the outer margin of the inner plexiform layer were intensely labeled. Reconstructions of these neurons from serial electron microscope autoradiograms showed that they are interplexiform cells, which synapse on bipolar processes in the outer plexiform layer and on amacrine and bipolar processes in the inner plexiform layer.

Quantification of Horizontal Cells in the Domestic Cat Retina

Publisher Summary This chapter gives a qualitative description to quantify receptor contacts and presents a topographical analysis of the network they form in the retina. It is shown that there are only two basic morphological types of horizontal cell in the cat retina. Their dendritic patterns differ. One, A-type, has no axon; the other, B-type, has an axon ending in a terminal system. There are about 2.5 more B- than A-type cells. The B-type axon connects to between 2000 and 3000 rods. Both cell types contact at least 80% of the cones in their dendritic field; therefore, 60% of the cones that a horizontal cell contacts are common to both classes of horizontal cell, and there is no strict selectivity of cone type. The coverage factor of the retina for the dendrites of both horizontal cell types is about 4, except in the central area where that of the B-type rises to 7.

Intracellular staining reveals different levels of stratification for on- and off-center ganglion cells in cat retina.

1. Ganglion cells in the retina of the cat were stained by intracellular dye injection after recording their responses to photic stimulation. 2. All cells encountered were divided into those giving on-responses and those producing off-responses, and the level of dendritic branching of these two groups was compared. Cells giving off-responses were found to branch high in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), near the amacrine cell bodies (sublamina a); those giving on-responses were found to branch lower in the inner plexiform layer (sublamina b). 3. Dye-injected cells varied widely in morphology and size, having cell bodies ranging in diameter from 8 to 32 micrometer and dendritic fields ranging from 25 to 490 micrometer in diameter; yet the sign of the response of each unit correlated only with the level of dendritic branching. Thus, no other morphological feature except stratification appears to be important in determining the sign of the response of these cells. 4. The stratification of ganglion cells into on- and off-layers parallels the distribution of the axon terminals of the flat and invaginating cone bipolars. Flat cone bipolars are in a position to contact off-center ganglion cells (in sublamina a) and invaginating cone bipolars are in a position to contact on-center ganglion cells (in sublamina b). 5. The rod and cone inputs to some cells were characterized by comparing their responses to deep red and blue rod-matched stimuli over a 2-log unit range starting at dark-adapted threshold. About half the cells appeared to be rod dominated under these conditions, whereas the others appeared to have mixed rod and cone signals. 6. The nature of the rod and cone pathways to ganglion cells is discussed.

A spatio-temporal model of cat's retinal cells.

This paper presents a model of the spatiotemporal processes of simple ganglion cells of cat's retina. The model is based on the existence of two anatomical paths in the retina: a direct path, responsible for central excitatory effects, and a transversal path, responsible for peripherical inhibitory effects. Plausible spatial weighting functions and temporal transfer functions for photoreceptors, horizontal, bipolar and ganglion cell are introduced by prudent application of comparative neurophysiology.

Synaptic connections of the interplexiform cell in the retina of the cat

Electron microscopy of Golgi-impregnated material and of well fixed, ultrathin serial sections has revealed the synaptic connections of interplexiform cells in cat retina. In the inner plexiform layer these cells are postsynaptic to amacrine cells and probably presynaptic to both bipolars and amacrines. In the outer plexiform layer they are presynaptic to rod and cone bipolar cells and also pre- and postsynaptic to other interplexiform cell dendrites. The interplexiform cell in cat retina appears to be concerned with feeding back information from the inner plexiform layer to the dendrites of bipolar cells in the outer plexiform layer.

Temporal characteristics of peripheral inhibition of sustained and transient ganglion cells in cat retina

The temporal characteristics of transient and sustained retinal ganglion cells in the cat were assessed by varying the temporal relationship between a spot in the receptive field center and an annulus in the receptive field surround. The luminance of the annulus was also varied for some units. The maximum amount of suppression of the excitatory response from the center spot was produced when the annulus preceded the spot by about 38 msec for transient cells and by about 7 msec for sustained cells. The time course of peripheral inhibition for transient and sustained cells was also found to differ. These differences held at all luminance levels used but were minimized at both extremely low and extremely high contrast levels.

Horizontal cells in cat retina with independent dendritic systems.

Cat horizontal cells are retinal neurons with two functionally distinct parts: the cell body receives signals predominantly from cones, while the terminal arborization receives predominantly from rods. The long thin process connecting these parts neither generates impulses nor allows significant passive electrotonic conduction between them.

Organization of retina of the mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus. I. Synaptic structure.

Organization of retina of the mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus. I. Synaptic structure.