MEMBRANE MECHANISMS MEDIATING RETINAL FUNCTION

这项研究的目的是了解视觉功能， 视网膜神经元中潜在膜事件的术语。 研究 将按层次顺序进行，首先分析 单个细胞的膜电导， 行为，然后建立对蜂窝网络行为的理解 通过分析突触功能。 最后，我们希望能够 通过分析细胞和网络来解释视网膜视觉功能 交互. 细胞和突触活动背后的膜电流将是 使用新开发的全细胞膜片钳方法进行分析 应用于活体视网膜切片和酶促分离的技术 细胞 我们的初步结果表明，这些技术允许一个很大的 更高的记录分辨率，造成的细胞损伤比 常规方法。 使用这些方法，现在每种视网膜细胞类型 在处理视觉信号时， 信息，电流掩盖了早期的破坏性影响，传统的 录制. 这些研究将提供有关离子基础的具体信息， 单个细胞功能，更好地了解突触功能， 视网膜独特的梯度电位突触，特定的 在介导蜂窝通信中的发射机系统， 信号通过侧视网膜网络的传播。

The objective of this research is the understanding of visual function in terms of the underlying membrane events in retinal neurons. The research will proceed in a hierarchical order, beginning with an analysis of membrane conductances in individual cells that account for cellular behavior, then building an understanding of cellular network behavior through an analysis of synaptic function. Finally we hope to be able to account for retinal visual function by analyzing cell and network interactions. The membrane currents underlying cellular and synaptic activity will be analyzed using the newly developed methods of whole cell patch clamp technology applied to living retinal slices and enzymatically-isolated cells. Our preliminary results indicate that these techniques allow a much greater resolution of recording and cause less cell damage than conventional methods. Using these methods, each retinal cell-type now appears to utilize a variety of active currents in processing the visual message, currents obscured earlier by the damaging effects of conventional recording. These studies will provide specific information about the ionic basis for individual cell function, a better understanding of synaptic function in the unique graded-potential synapses of the retina, the role of specific transmitter sybstances in mediating cellular communication, and the propagation of signals through lateral retinal networks.