Abstract

The retina carries out the first steps in the process of """"""""seeing."""""""" Much of the power of the retina to accomplish this task lies in the synapses, by means of which retinal neurons communicate with each other. This proposal describes experiments to investigate the normal working of retinal synapses, concentrating in particular, on the first synapse of the visual system: the synapse between photoreceptors and bipolar cells. Two sets of questions are addressed here. A first set of questions concerns the way in which retinal cells release neurotransmitter. Cultures of chick retinal cells derived from early chick embryos will be used in this part of the study. Electrophysiological methods will be used to discover the way in which transmission at these synapses differs from synaptic transmission elsewhere in the nervous system. A second set of questions deals with the way in which the probable neurotransmitter of photoreceptors (glutamic acid) opens or closes channel molecules on bipolar cell membranes. To answer these questions we will use bipolar cells isolated from the salamander retina. The behavior of individual channel molecules will be observed using the """"""""patch-clamp"""""""" method to measure ion currents flowing through single membrane channels.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY004112-08
Application #
3258594
Study Section
Visual Sciences A Study Section (VISA)
Project Start
1982-04-01
Project End
1991-09-29
Budget Start
1989-09-30
Budget End
1990-09-29
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of California Davis
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
094878337
City
Davis
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
95618

  Publications

Wilson, Martin; Nacsa, Nick; Hart, Nathan S et al. (2011) Regional distribution of nitrergic neurons in the inner retina of the chicken. Vis Neurosci 28:205-20
Wilson, Martin; Lindstrom, Sarah H (2011) What the bird's brain tells the bird's eye: the function of descending input to the avian retina. Vis Neurosci 28:337-50
Lindstrom, Sarah H; Azizi, Nason; Weller, Cynthia et al. (2010) Retinal input to efferent target amacrine cells in the avian retina. Vis Neurosci 27:103-18
Lindstrom, S H; Nacsa, N; Blankenship, T et al. (2009) Distribution and structure of efferent synapses in the chicken retina. Vis Neurosci 26:215-26
Weller, Cynthia; Lindstrom, Sarah H; De Grip, Willem J et al. (2009) The area centralis in the chicken retina contains efferent target amacrine cells. Vis Neurosci 26:249-54
Borges, Salvador; Lindstrom, Sarah; Walters, Cameron et al. (2008) Discrete influx events refill depleted Ca2+ stores in a chick retinal neuron. J Physiol 586:605-26
Green, Daniel G; Kapousta-Bruneau, Natalia V (2007) Evidence that L-AP5 and D,L-AP4 can preferentially block cone signals in the rat retina. Vis Neurosci 24:9-15
Warrier, Ajithkumar; Wilson, Martin (2007) Endocannabinoid signaling regulates spontaneous transmitter release from embryonic retinal amacrine cells. Vis Neurosci 24:25-35
Warrier, Ajithkumar; Borges, Salvador; Dalcino, David et al. (2005) Calcium from internal stores triggers GABA release from retinal amacrine cells. J Neurophysiol 94:4196-208
Hurtado, Jose; Borges, Salvador; Wilson, Martin (2002) Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger controls the gain of the Ca(2+) amplifier in the dendrites of amacrine cells. J Neurophysiol 88:2765-77

Showing the most recent 10 out of 34 publications