The long term objectives of the work proposed here are to contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the development of the eye and brain. The immediate aims of this proposal are: 1) describe the contacts made by the dendritic growth cones of ganglion cells within the nascent inner plexiform layer; 2) determine whether or not the temporal differences in the electrical activity of afferent synapses is a guidance cue for dendritic growth 3) characterize the degree to which locally regenerated retina resembles the surrounding, undamaged retina; and 4) experimentally test whether or not the undamaged retina serves as a template upon which a local patch of retina is regenerated.
These aims will be achieved by using electron microscopy, light microscopy, intracellular injections of individual retinal neurons with markers for light and electron microscopy, and immunocytochemistry. It is expected that the studies described herein will provide information that will eventually be useful for devising strategies for treating diseases of, or damage to the central nervous system.
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