Calcium-permeable AMPA receptors on AII amacrine cells mediate sustained signaling in the On-pathway of the primate retina.

Midget and parasol ganglion cells (GCs) represent the major output channels from the primate eye to the brain. On-type midget and parasol GCs exhibit a higher background spike rate and thus can respond more linearly to contrast changes than their Off-type counterparts. Here, we show that a calcium-permeable AMPA receptor (CP-AMPAR) antagonist blocks background spiking and sustained light-evoked firing in On-type GCs while preserving transient light responses.

Glycinergic Inhibition Targets Specific Off Cone Bipolar Cells in Primate Retina.

Adapting between scotopic and photopic illumination involves switching the routing of retinal signals between rod and cone-dominated circuits. In the daytime, cone signals pass through parallel On and Off cone bipolar cells (CBCs), that are sensitive to increments and decrements in luminance, respectively. At night, rod signals are routed into these cone-pathways via a key glycinergic interneuron, the AII amacrine cell (AII-AC).

Molecular Fingerprinting of On-Off Direction-Selective Retinal Ganglion Cells Across Species and Relevance to Primate Visual Circuits.

The ability to detect moving objects is an ethologically salient function. Direction-selective neurons have been identified in the retina, thalamus, and cortex of many species, but their homology has remained unclear. For instance, it is unknown whether direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (DSGCs) exist in primates and, if so, whether they are the equivalent to mouse and rabbit DSGCs.

Directional excitatory input to direction-selective ganglion cells in the rabbit retina.

Directional responses in retinal ganglion cells are generated in large part by direction-selective release of γ-aminobutyric acid from starburst amacrine cells onto direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs). The excitatory inputs to DSGCs are also widely reported to be direction-selective, however, recent evidence suggests that glutamate release from bipolar cells is not directional, and directional excitation seen in patch-clamp analyses may be an artifact resulting from incomplete voltage control. Here, we test this voltage-clamp-artifact hypothesis in recordings from 62 ON-OFF DSGCs in the rabbit retina.

Survey of retinal ganglion cell morphology in marmoset.

In primate retina, the midget, parasol, and small bistratified cell populations form the large majority of ganglion cells. In addition, there is a variety of low-density wide-field ganglion cell types that are less well characterized. Here we studied retinal ganglion cells in the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus, using particle-mediated gene transfer.

Connectivity between the OFF bipolar type DB3a and six types of ganglion cell in the marmoset retina.

Parallel visual pathways originate at the first synapse in the retina, where cones make connections with cone bipolar cells that in turn contact ganglion cells. There are more ganglion cell types than bipolar types, suggesting that there must be divergence from bipolar to ganglion cells. Here we analyze the contacts between an OFF bipolar type (DB3a) and six ganglion cell types in the retina of the marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus).

Analysis of bipolar and amacrine populations in marmoset retina.

About 15 parallel ganglion cell pathways transmit visual signals to the brain, but the interneuron (bipolar and amacrine) populations providing input to ganglion cells remain poorly understood in primate retina. We carried out a quantitative analysis of the inner nuclear layer in the retina of the marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Vertical Vibratome sections along the horizontal meridian were processed with immunohistochemical markers.

Kainate receptors mediate synaptic input to transient and sustained OFF visual pathways in primate retina.

Visual signals are segregated into parallel pathways at the first synapse in the retina between cones and bipolar cells. Within the OFF pathways of mammals, the selective expression of AMPA or kainate-type glutamate receptors in the dendrites of different OFF-bipolar cell types is thought to contribute to formation of distinct temporal channels. AMPA receptors, with rapid recovery from desensitization, are proposed to transmit high temporal frequency signals, whereas kainate receptors (KARs) are presumed to encode lower temporal frequencies.

Identification of a pathway from the retina to koniocellular layer K1 in the lateral geniculate nucleus of marmoset.

Three well characterized pathways in primate vision (midget-parvocellular, parasol-magnocellular, bistratified-koniocellular) have been traced from the first synapse in the retina, through the visual thalamus (lateral geniculate nucleus, LGN), to the visual cortex. Here we identify a pathway from the first synapse in the retina to koniocellular layer K1 in marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). Particle-mediated gene transfer of an expression plasmid for the postsynaptic density 95-green fluorescent protein (PSD95-GFP) was used to label excitatory synapses on retinal ganglion cells and combined with immunofluorescence to identify the presynaptic bipolar cells.

Organisation of koniocellular-projecting ganglion cells and diffuse bipolar cells in the primate fovea.

The roles of the midget and parasol pathways as the anatomical foundation for high-acuity vision at the fovea are well established. There is also evidence for the presence of other (non-midget, non-parasol) ganglion cell types in the foveal retina, but it is not established whether these cells receive input from cone photoreceptors in the central few degrees of the visual field, i.e.

Amacrine and bipolar inputs to midget and parasol ganglion cells in marmoset retina.

Retinal ganglion cells receive excitatory synapses from bipolar cells and inhibitory synapses from amacrine cells. Previous studies in primate suggest that the strength of inhibitory amacrine input is greater to cells in peripheral retina than to foveal (central) cells. A comprehensive study of a large number of ganglion cells at different eccentricities, however, is still lacking.

Synaptic inputs to two types of koniocellular pathway ganglion cells in marmoset retina.

The retinal connectivity of the diverse group of cells contributing to koniocellular visual pathways (widefield ganglion cells) is largely unexplored. Here we examined the synaptic inputs onto two koniocellular-projecting ganglion cell types named large sparse and broad thorny cells. Ganglion cells were labeled by retrograde tracer injections targeted to koniocellular layer K3 in the lateral geniculate nucleus in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and subsequently photofilled.

Synaptic inputs onto small bistratified (blue-ON/yellow-OFF) ganglion cells in marmoset retina.

The inner plexiform layer of the retina contains functional subdivisions, which segregate ON and OFF type light responses. Here, we studied quantitatively the ON and OFF synaptic input to small bistratified (blue-ON/yellow-OFF) ganglion cells in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Small bistratified cells display an extensive inner dendritic tier that receives blue-ON input from short-wavelength-sensitive (S) cones via blue cone bipolar cells.

Distribution of bipolar input to midget and parasol ganglion cells in marmoset retina.

Different types of retinal ganglion cell show differences in their response properties. Here we investigated the question of whether these differences are related to the distribution of the synaptic input to the dendritic tree. We measured the distribution and density of synaptic input to the dendrites of midget and parasol ganglion cells in the retina of a New World monkey, the marmoset, Callithrix jacchus.