Projecting Ganglion Cells Research Articles

A specific projection of retinal displaced ganglion cells to the nucleus of the basal optic root in the chicken

The displaced ganglion cells of Dogiel are a class of retinal ganglion cells whose perikarya are located along the inner margin of the inner nuclear layer. Found in all vertebrate classes, they are particularly conspicuous in avians. Recently, Karten, Fite & Brecha (1977) found that these cells in the pigeon gave rise to a seemingly exclusive projection to the contralateral nucleus of the basal optic root, the major component of the avian accessory optic system. In the present work, the projections of displaced ganglion cells were investigated in hatchling and adult chickens. The cells were found to project to the nucleus of the basal optic root but not to the tectum. Labeled displaced ganglion cells following injections of horseradish peroxidase into the nucleus of the basal optic root were 15 × 20μm in size in both hatchlings and adults. Labeled cells tended to have a higher concentration in the peripheral than in the central retina. Cells were widely but irregularly spaced, with adjacent cells seldom closer than 100 μm. Up to 7700 displaced ganglion cells were labeled in the adult chicken. These results, together with those of Karten et al. (1977) , suggest that in birds, displaced ganglion cells may constitute a unique class of retinal ganglion cells that project exclusively to the nucleus of the basal optic root. In light of the projections of the nucleus of the basal optic root to the oculomotor complex and vestibulocerebellum, the displaced ganglion cells may be an initial link in a visual pathway involved in the control of oculomotor reflexes.

The retinothalamic pathways in Siamese cats

By injecting one lateral geniculate nucleus with large amounts of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), we have determined the retinal distributions of contra- and ipsilaterally projecting retinothalamic ganglion cells in the Siamese cat. In accord with the data of others, we observe that large numbers of temporal ganglion cells, which normally send axons ipsilaterally, instead misproject to the contralateral thalamus. However, in contrast to the expectations raised by previous work, we do not find the Siamese defect to be a simple 20 degrees shift of the naso-temporal decussation line. Rather, there is intermingling of the crossed and uncrossed retinothalamic populations in the temporal retina, with a gradual increase in the proportion of ipsilaterally projecting ganglion cells as one moves temporally. Thus, the Siamese abnormality represents not only a temporal displacement of the retinothalamic decussation line, but also a smearing of the normally rather sharp division between regions of ipsilateral and contralateral projection. Cell size measurements and anterograde transport of H3-proline confirm the HRP findings and suggest differential effects of the Siamese abnormality according to ganglion cell class. In particular, it appears that the large ganglion cells to misproject to a greater degree than the rest of the retinothalamic population.

Antidromically activated direction selective ganglion cells of the rabbit

To determine the conduction velocities and the retinofugal projections of the direction selective ganglion cells of the rabbit retina, these cells were stimulated antidromically from the chiasma opticum (CH), the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and the superior colliculus (SC). The cells showed conduction velocities of 20-8 m/sec. The range of the latencies showed a significant overlap with the latencies of the transient and sustained ON and OFF-cells. Approximately 25% of the cells in the rabbit's retina are described as being direction selective. These cells show a maximal response to the movement of a stimulus in the “preferred direction” but little or no response to movements in the opposite direction (“null direction”) [1].

Cat superior colliculus: extracellular potentials related to W-cell synaptic actions.

Cat superior colliculus: extracellular potentials related to W-cell synaptic actions.J T McIlwainJ T McIlwainPublished Online:01 Sep 1978https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1978.41.5.1343MoreSectionsPDF (3 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByThe Mouse Superior Colliculus as a Model System for Investigating Cell Type-Based Mechanisms of Visual Motor Transformation24 July 2018 | Frontiers in Neural Circuits, Vol. 12Both electrical stimulation thresholds and SMI-32-immunoreactive retinal ganglion cell density correlate with age in S334ter line 3 rat retinaLeanne L. H. Chan, Eun-Jin Lee, Mark S. Humayun, and James D. Weiland1 June 2011 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 105, No. 6Most Superficial Sublamina of Rat Superior Colliculus: Neuronal Response Properties and Correlates With Perceptual Figure–Ground SegregationS. V. Girman, and R. D. Lund1 July 2007 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 98, No. 1Cytoarchitectonic and connectional organization of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus in the cat1 January 2004 | The Journal of Comparative Neurology, Vol. 473, No. 4Physiological Properties of Neurons in the Optic Layer of the Rat's Superior ColliculusFu-Sun Lo, R. John Cork, and R. Ranney Mize1 July 1998 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 80, No. 1Evidence for intrinsic expression of enkephalin-like immunoreactivity and opioid binding sites in cat superior colliculusNeuroscience, Vol. 43, No. 2-3‘Hidden lamination’ in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus: the functional organization of this thalamic region in the ratBrain Research Reviews, Vol. 13, No. 2Laminar distribution of tectal, parabigeminal and pretectal inputs to the primate dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus: Connectional studies in Galago crassicaudatusBrain Research, Vol. 366, No. 1-2Projection of morphologically identified superior colliculus neurons to the lateral posterior nucleus in the catVision Research, Vol. 25, No. 3The projection from the superior colliculus to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in the ratBrain Research, Vol. 305, No. 1Variations in the retinal synapses of the cat superior colliculus revealed using quantitative electron microscope autoradiographyBrain Research, Vol. 269, No. 2The superior colliculus neurons which project to the dorsal and ventral lateral geniculate nuclei in the cat3 September 2013 | Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 46, No. 2Parallel processing of information in the visual pathwaysTrends in Neurosciences, Vol. 5Chapter 4 Morphological types and central projections of ganglion cells in the cat retinaProgress in Retinal Research, Vol. 1Organization of somatosensory input to the deep collicular laminae in hamsterBehavioural Brain Research, Vol. 3, No. 2Retinotectal connectivities within the superficial layers of the cat's superior colliculusBrain Research, Vol. 217, No. 1Laminar segregation of cells of origin of ascending projections from the superficial layers of the superior colliculus in the catBrain Research, Vol. 184, No. 2 More from this issue > Volume 41Issue 5September 1978Pages 1343-58 https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1978.41.5.1343PubMed702196History Published online 1 September 1978 Published in print 1 September 1978 Metrics

The nasotemporal division of retina in the Siamese cat.

By sectioning one optic tract in Siamese kittens and allowing sufficient time for the affected ganglion cells to degenerate and disappear, we have obtained maps of the distribution of ipsi- and contralaterally projecting ganglion cells in the retina of the Siamese cat. As previous work predicted, many ganglion cells in the Siamese cat retina project contralaterally which, in the normally pigmented cat, would project ipsilaterally. The transition from the pattern of projection typical of nasal retina (all contralateral) to that typical of temporal retina (most ipsilateral) is much more gradual in the Siamese cat than in the normally pigmented cat, and is centred 1.7-3 mm temporal to the area centralis, instead of at the area centralis. In the Siamese cat only a few ganglion cells at the area centralis project ipsilaterally, as against nearly 50% in the normally pigmented cat. The proportion of ipsi-projecting cells reaches the 50% level 1.7-3.0 mm into temporal retina, and overall the zone of transition may be several millimetres wide, as against about 0.2-0.5 mm in in the normall pigmented cat. Evidence is presented that the degree of the abnormality of nasotemporal division varies between individual Siamese cats and that the abnormality is more severe among large or "giant" cells than among the population as a whole.

Properties and tectal projections of monkey retinal ganglion cells

Page 432: Peter H. Schiller and Joseph G. Malpeli, “Properties and tectal projections of monkey retinal ganglion cells.” The legend to the figure at the bottom of page 432 should read: fig. 3. A: orthodromic potential of single cell in retina. B: antidromic response of same cell. Two components of the response evident which show considerable variation with antidromic activation. The second component is absent in the fifth trace. Time marker represents 1 ms.

Laminar segregation of afferents to lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat: an analysis of current source density.

ArticlesLaminar segregation of afferents to lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat: an analysis of current source densityU. Mitzdorf, and W. SingerU. Mitzdorf, and W. SingerPublished Online:01 Nov 1977https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1977.40.6.1227MoreSectionsPDF (6 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailWeChat Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformationCited ByEarly Postnatal Development of the Lamination in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus A-Layers in Cats17 April 2018 | Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Vol. 38, No. 5Adult-Onset Hearing Impairment Induces Layer-Specific Cortical Reorganization: Evidence of Crossmodal Plasticity and Central Gain Enhancement13 April 2018 | Cerebral Cortex, Vol. 168Dipolar extracellular potentials generated by axonal projections5 September 2017 | eLife, Vol. 6A quantitative theory of gamma synchronization in macaque V131 August 2017 | eLife, Vol. 6Linking canonical microcircuits and neuronal activity: Dynamic causal modelling of laminar recordingsNeuroImage, Vol. 146An NMDA receptor-dependent mechanism for subcellular segregation of sensory inputs in the tadpole optic tectum23 November 2016 | eLife, Vol. 5The horizontal brain slice preparation: a novel approach for visualizing and recording from all layers of the tadpole tectumAli S. Hamodi and Kara G. Pratt1 January 2015 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 113, No. 1Electrical neuroimaging based on biophysical constraintsNeuroImage, Vol. 21, No. 2Coupling of Total Hemoglobin Concentration, Oxygenation, and Neural Activity in Rat Somatosensory CortexNeuron, Vol. 39, No. 2on and off Channels of the Frog Optic Tectum Revealed by Current Source Density AnalysisHideki Nakagawa, and Nobuyoshi Matsumoto1 October 1998 | Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 80, No. 4Premature bifurcation of the apical dendritic trunk of vibrissa-responding pyramidal neurones of X-irradiated rat neocortex22 September 2004 | The Journal of Physiology, Vol. 512, No. 2The influence of transcortical relationships on visual responses in ratsBrain Research Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 1-2Modular organization of on and off responses in the cat lateral geniculate nucleusNeuroscience, Vol. 32, No. 3Epileptic discharges induced by intermittent light stimulation in photosensitive baboons: a current source density studyEpilepsy Research, Vol. 2, No. 1The development of soma size changes in the C-laminae of the cat lateral geniculate nucleus following monocular deprivationDevelopmental Brain Research, Vol. 35, No. 2Current source density analysis of frequency coding in the inferior colliculusHearing Research, Vol. 25, No. 2-3Evoked potentials from passive elbow movements. I. quantitative spatial and temporal analysisElectroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Vol. 61, No. 5Intracortical generators of the flash VEP in monkeysElectroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology/Evoked Potentials Section, Vol. 62, No. 4The distribution of acetylcholinesterase in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat and monkeyBrain Research, Vol. 244, No. 1Chapter 4 Morphological types and central projections of ganglion cells in the cat retinaProgress in Retinal Research, Vol. 1Parallel visual pathways: A reviewVision Research, Vol. 20, No. 7 More from this issue > Volume 40Issue 6November 1977Pages 1227-1244 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1977 the American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1977.40.6.1227PubMed925725History Published online 1 November 1977 Published in print 1 November 1977 Metrics

Foveal Sparing

The pattern of retinal ganglion cell projections to the dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei has been demonstrated with horseradish peroxidase neuronography. A 1 degree-wide strip centered on the vertical meridian has been found in which ipsilaterally and contralaterally projecting ganglion cells intermingle. This strip expands to a width of 3 degrees at the fovea, since mixing of horseradish peroxidase-labeled and unlabeled ganglion cells was found in a band approximately 0.5 degrees wide along both the nasal and temporal rims of the foveola. These labeled ganglion cells rimming the foveal pit in its entirety represent a possible anatomical basis for "foveal sparing".

Specific projection of displaced retinal ganglion cells upon the accessory optic system in the pigeon (Columbia livia).

In the pigeon, the nucleus of the basal optic root, a component of the accessory optic system, projects directly upon the vestibulo-cerebellum. This nucleus receives a prominent projection composed of large-diameter retinal axons, known as the basal optic root. The cells of origin of this tract were identified using horseradish peroxidase (donor:hydrogen-peroxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.11.1.7) as a retrograde marker. Injections of horseradish peroxidase confined primarily to the basal optic root nucleus labeled displaced ganglion cells of the contralateral retina. Cell sizes were 18-30 micronm and the dendrites of these cells were confined to the first stratum of the inner plexiform layer. Approximately 3700 displaced ganglion cells were labeled after injections of horseradish peroxidase into basal optic root. In contrast, no displaced ganglion cells were labeled after injections of horseradish peroxidase into the optic tectum, which labeled only cells in the ganglion cell layer proper. These findings indicate that displaced ganglion cells constitute a unique population of retinal neurons that give rise to a bisynaptic pathway directed to the cerebellum via the nucleus of the basal optic root. These displaced ganglion cells may play a major role inoculomotor reflexes.

Properties and tectal projections of monkey retinal ganglion cells

1. Extracellular single-unit recordings were undertaken in the retina of the rhesus monkey in order to assess the receptive-field properties of those ganglion cells which project to the superior colliculus. Cells were tested for antidromic activation from the superior colliculus, lateral geniculate nucleus, and the optic chiasm. 2. The majority of retinal ganglion cells could be classified as color opponent or broad band. A small, heterogeneous group could not be so classified and were collectively referred to as "rarely encountered" cells. 3. Color-opponent cells responded in a sustained fashion and broad-band cells in a transient fashion to visual stimuli. Quantitative assessment of response transiency shows that this measure reliably differentiates these two classes. 4. To moving sinusoidal gratings broad-band cells responded more vigorously and with greater temporal modulation than did color-opponent cells. 5. The distributions of conduction velocities of different classes of neurons showed considerable overlap. On the average, axons of broadband neurons conducted most rapidly and rarely encountered types, most slowly. 6. The population of cells projecting to the superior colliculus does not contain color-opponent cells. The retinotectal cells respond predominantly in a transient fashion. Only 3.9% of broad-band cells (26 of 663) were antidromically driven from the superior colliculus, while 29% of the rarely encountered group (5 of 17) could be so activated. 7. The relative distribution of color-opponent and broad-band cells does not appear to change with retinal eccentricity within the central 20 degrees.

Demonstration of bilateral projection of the central retina of the monkey with horseradish peroxidase neuronography

In the primate, ganglion cells of the temporal retina project ipsilaterally and those of the nasal retina, contralaterally into the optic tract. The vertical meridian passing through the fovea defines the border between these two populations of ganglion cells and has been demonstrated in four Macaque monkeys after unilateral injection of horseradish peroxidase into the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and examination of the pattern of retrograde labeling of those ganglion cells projecting to the injected side. A median 1 degree vertical strip in which ipsi- and contralaterally projecting ganglion cells intermingle was found, confirming the report by Stone et al. ('73). In addition, occasional extrafoveal labeled ganglion cells were found as far as 2 degrees from the vertical midline in the otherwise unlabeled hemiretinae. These ganglion cells were not numerous and had somata of all sizes, suggesting that they do not constitute a separate class of ganglion cells as found in the temporal retina of the cat. In contrast to the description by Stone et al. ('73), the strip of vertical overlap did not show a constant width through the fovea, since mixing of labeled and unlabeled ganglion cells was found in a band approximately 1/2 degree wide along both the nasal and temporal rims of the foveal pit which is 500 mum (2 degrees) in diameter. Beyond these 1/2 degree arcs, the appropriate hemiretina was either completely unlabeled, or contained virtually every ganglion cell labeled on the side projecting to the injected dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. The scattered labeled ganglion cells rimming an otherwise unlabeled hemifovea represent a possible anatomical basis for the phenomenon of "macular" or "foveal sparing" in which unilateral damage to the occipital cortex produces homonymous hemianopsia with sparing of a small island of centralmost vision extending about 1 degree from the foveal center. From this study, it is not possible to define the receptive fields or specific photoreceptor connections of the ganglion cells labeled with horseradish peroxidase, so that at the present time quantitative correlations cannot be made between the numbers of ganglion cells remaining on the affected side of the fovea and the extent of preservation of visual function in the spared zone. The presence of labeled ganglion cells rimming the fovea in its entirety is compatible with the sequence of foveal development in late prenatal life. After lateral displacement both nasally and temporally of ganglion cells which initially lay in the median vertical overlap strip of 1 degree, in the adult retina a strip approximately 1/2 degree wide around the perimeter of the foveola should contain a mixture of ipsi- and contralaterally projecting ganglion cells. The total population of ganglion cells beyond this 1/2 degree band should be completely ipsi- or contralateral in their projection patterns, as is observed...

Monkey retinal ganglion cells: morphometric analysis and tracing of axonal projections, with a consideration of the peroxidase technique.

This paper presents evidence on the retinal distribution and central projections of retinal ganglion cells of various cell body sizes in the adult macaque monkey. The ganglion cell sizes have been determined by computer assisted measurement of camera lucida drawings at various eccentricities of both flat mounted and sectioned retinae. The pattern of projections of individual ganglion cells to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and superior colliculus has been studied using retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase. Following peroxidase injections into the parvocellular laminae of the geniculate, virtually every ganglion cell was labeled within a circumscribed zone of the retina known to project to the region of the geniculate immediately surrounding the injection needle tip. After magnocellular injections, only the largest cells of the peripheral retina and approximately 26% of the ganglion cells of the parafovea were labeled. Peroxidase injections into the superior colliculus produced labeling of scattered ganglion cells of all sizes in the retina, although no labeled cells were found within the centralmost 10 degrees eccentricity. From these observations it is concluded that all ganglion cells of the macaque retina project to the parvocellular layers of the dorsal lateral geniculate, but that only the largest ganglion cells of the more peripheral retina and not all cells of the parafovea project to the magnocellular laminae. In contrast, only scattered ganglion cells, although these are of all sizes, appear to project to the superior colliculus. Two major problems with the peroxidase tracing technique are described: 1. The extent of stainable peroxidase activity around the injection site appears to be larger than the area of injected tracer actually available for uptake by axons to produce labeled cells. 2. Cut or damaged axons appear to incorporate peroxidase sufficiently to produce labeling of the cell body.

The projections of different morphological types of ganglion cells in the cat retina.

The central projections of the retinal ganglion cells of the cat were examined using the method of retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. Peroxidase was injected into the lateral geniculate nucleus and into the superior colliculus by means of a recording micropipette. After injections at retinotopically homologous points in these two structures in separate animals, tha patterns of retinal ganglion cell labeling were compared. We found that there were three populations of ganglion cells: small cells, that projected predominantly to the superior colliculus; medium-sized cells, that projected predominantly to the lateral geniculate nucleus; and large cells, some of which projected to both structures, and some of which projected to the lateral geniculate nucleus alons. Quantitative studies showed that the average size of the cells in each population was smaller at the area centralis than in the periphery. These results could be directly related to physiological classifications of retinal ganglion cells proposed by other authors.

Variations in the laterality of the central projections of retinal ganglion cells

Five examples are reviewed in which optic axons do not end on the expected side of the brain in terms of analysis and integration of visual fields. These are: (1) regeneration after optic nerve section in frogs, (2) variations shown in cats depending on the ganglion cell type involved, (3) the pattern of retinotectal compared with retinogeniculate representation, (4) the aberrant ipsilateral distribution of optic axons in rats after unilateral enucleation early in development, and (5) the anomalies encountered in albino animals. An attempt is made to identify general mechanisms which may be common to all or most of the patterns described. The suggestion is offered that different ganglion cell types in the eye may respond to different decussation points, perhaps as a result of different timing of development or of varied potential for interaction at the optic chiasm. It is further suggested that the Y system of ganglion cells is particularly susceptible to aberration of laterality and as such may be a major factor in the anomalies associated with albino animals and with rats enucleated at birth.

Evaluation of [ 3H]proline for radioautographic tracing of axonal projections in the teleost visual system

The efficacy of [ 3H]proline radioautography for tracing retinal ganglion cell projections to the optic tectum of the jewel fish, Hemichromis bimaculatus, has been compared with that of degeneration techniques. There was good agreement between the various methods. Retinal projections to the optic tectum of two other teleosts, the oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, and the goldfish, Carrasius auratus, were examined radioautographically. In addition to conventional methods of analysis, radioautograms were scanned in a slit microdensitometer and by an automated isodensity scanning system. Results of studies with the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, are compatible with the suggestion that axonally transported proteins labeled with [ 3H]proline may release diffusible precursors that are reincorporated into protein in adjacent regions. The possible advantages and limitations of radioautography of [ 3H]proline-labeled axonally transported protein in brief or extended studies are discussed in terms of the results obtained in the teleost visual system.

The naso‐temporal division of the cat's retina re‐examined in terms of Y‐, X‐ and W‐cells

AbstractIn the cat, as in all mammals, optic nerve fibres decussate only partially, so that some of the ganglion cells in one retina project to the contralateral side of the brain, and some to the ipsilateral side. The retinal distribution of ipsi‐ and contralaterally projecting ganglion cells, described in a previous study, has been re‐examined in the context of the recent classification of cat retinal ganglion cells into three major types (W‐, X‐ and Y‐cells). Evidence is presented of significant differences between the three cell types in the retinal distribution of ipsi‐ and contralaterally projecting cells. The pattern of naso‐temporal division of retina described previously thus appears to be a composite of the different patterns of the three cell types. Functional implications of these different patterns are considered.

Conduction velocity in pathways from retina to superior colliculus in the cat: a correlation with receptive-field properties.

Conduction velocity in pathways from retina to superior colliculus in the cat: a correlation with receptive-field properties.

Projection of X- and Y-cells of the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus to areas 17 and 18 of visual cortex.

Projection of X- and Y-cells of the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus to areas 17 and 18 of visual cortex.