Unique physiological properties of novel ganglion cell types in primate retina

这项研究的长期目标是了解灵长类视网膜发出的视觉信号， 与人类视觉最相关的模型，并利用这一知识治疗 失明。这项拟议工作的目标是确定视网膜神经节细胞的多样性 视网膜中的(RGC)类型向大脑发送视觉信息，以及它们用于 从视觉环境中提取此信息。我们确定了两种研资局类型，即On和 在SM细胞外，这显示了理解细胞类型多样性如何有助于 灵长类动物的视觉信号。我们已经证明，这些细胞类型表现出不同寻常的空间 特性和高刺激选择性，让人想起进行独特的视觉计算 在其他物种中由RGC输出。基于这些发现，我们的具体目标是：1)确定 SM进行独特空间计算的结构和解剖基础 细胞；2)确定作为空间信号基础的细胞和突触机制 以及SM细胞的稀疏激发；3)决定了独特的空间结构和稀疏性 SM细胞的放电是特殊计算的基础，这些计算可能有助于特定的视觉功能。 为了解决这些问题，我们将合作结合大规模的多电极 SM细胞的细胞内记录和高分辨率解剖识别 在分离的猕猴视网膜中，一组独特而强大的方法非常适合 任务。在这项工作结束时，我们希望了解所执行的视觉计算 通过SM细胞和调节这些计算的机制。

The long-term objective of this research is to understand visual signaling by the primate retina, the most relevant model for human vision, and to exploit this knowledge in the treatment of blindness. The goal of the proposed work is to determine how diverse retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types in the retina signal visual information to the brain, and the mechanisms they use to extract this information from the visual environment. We have identified two RGC types, ON and OFF SM cells, that show high promise for understanding how cell type diversity contributes to visual signaling in primates. We have shown that these cell types exhibit unusual spatial properties and high stimulus selectivity, reminiscent of the unique visual computations carried out by RGCs in other species. Based on these findings, our specific aims are to 1) Determine the structure and anatomical substrate of the unique spatial computations performed by SM cells; 2) Determine the cellular and synaptic mechanisms that underlie this spatial signaling as well as the sparse firing of SM cells; and 3) Determine if the unique spatial structure and sparse firing in SM cells underlie specialized computations that may subserve specific visual functions. To approach these problems, we will collaboratively combine large-scale multi-electrode recordings with intracellular recordings and high resolution anatomical identification of SM cells in isolated macaque retina, a unique and powerful collection of methods ideally suited to the task. At the conclusion of this work we expect to understand the visual computations performed by SM cells and the mechanisms that mediate these computations.