Functional pathways in primate retina

当光线进入眼睛时，被称为光感受器的特殊神经细胞将光信号转化为神经信号。这些信号在视网膜中由两组神经元处理，即双极细胞和神经节细胞，然后被发送到更高级的大脑中心。双极细胞和神经节细胞可以细分为几种类型。我们将测量哪些类型的神经细胞相互通信，以及哪些蛋白质(神经递质受体)参与这些神经细胞之间的通信。这项研究将提高我们对视觉过程最早阶段的功能子专门化基础的了解。

When light enters the eye, specialised nerve cells called photoreceptors transform the light signal into nerve signals. These signals are processed in the retina by two groups of neurones, bipolar and ganglion cells before being sent to higher brain centres. Bipolar and ganglion cells can be subdivided into several types. We will measure which types communicate with each other and which proteins (neurotransmitter receptors) are involved at the site of communication between these nerve cells. This study will improve our knowledge of the basis of functional subspecialisation at the earliest stages of the visual process.