AMACRINE CELL FUNCTION IN THE RETINA

描述(改编自申请者摘要)：长期目标 这项研究是为了确定哪些视觉线索是由 无长突细胞，从而提供生理/形态上的 这些单元格的分类方案。这次会议的中心主题是 建议确定基本蜂窝属性并将其本地化 无长突细胞的相互作用。使用的基本方法是细胞内 来自超融合的、分离的视网膜-眼球内神经元的记录 兔肉的制备。具有生理特征的细胞 随后用细胞内染色，如神经生物素标记，以 确定它们的胞体-树枝状轮廓。具体目标是 测定：(1)无长突细胞和 将这些与其细胞形态相关联；(2)不同的 产生棘波的部位(体细胞与树突) 无长突细胞以及这些刺突是如何在它们的 树突状乔木；(3)突触输入的主动传播起什么作用 在塑造无长突细胞的感受野中起作用；(4)AII 无长突细胞在光适应的视网膜中表现出视觉反应， 从而服务于视锥视觉；(5)药理机制 光和暗对偶联和感受性的潜在影响 水平无长突细胞和所有无长突细胞的视野大小；以及(6) 相邻阿尔法神经节细胞的相关棘波活动是由于 α神经节细胞间的偶联，可能由偶联介导 有无长突细胞。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's abstract): The long term goal of this research is to determine which visual cues are processed by amacrine cells to thereby provide a physiological/morphological classification scheme for these cells. The central theme of this proposal is to determine basic cellular properties and localized interactions of amacrine cells. The basic method used is intracellular recording from neurons in the superfused, isolated retina-eyecup preparation of the rabbit. Physiologically-characterized cells are subsequently labeled with intracellular stains, such as neurobiotin, to determine their soma-dendritic profiles. The specific aims are to determine: (1) the response properties expressed by amacrine cells and to correlate these with their cellular morphologies; (2) the different sites (somatic vs. dendritic) at which spikes are generated within amacrine cells and how these spikes are propagated within their dendritic arbors; (3) what role active propagation of synaptic inputs plays in shaping the receptive fields of amacrine cells; (4) whether AII amacrine cells show visual responses in the light-adapted retina, thereby subserving cone vision; (5) the pharmacologic mechanisms underlying light- and dark- induced changes in coupling and receptive field size of horizontal and AII amacrine cells; and (6) whether the correlated spike activity of neighboring alpha ganglion cells is due to coupling between alpha ganglion cells, possibly mediated by coupling with amacrine cells.