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动物视网膜的视觉信号， 最相关的人类视觉模型，并利用这一知识在治疗 失明这项工作的目标是确定视网膜神经节细胞的多样性， (RGC)视网膜中的类型向大脑发出视觉信息，以及它们用于 从视觉环境中提取这些信息。我们已确定两种研资局类型，即ON和 OFF SM细胞，这表明很有希望了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表明，这些细胞类型表现出不寻常的空间 性能和高刺激选择性，让人想起独特的视觉计算进行 其他物种的RGCs。根据这些发现，我们的具体目标是：1）确定 由SM执行的独特空间计算的结构和解剖学基础 细胞; 2）确定这种空间信号传导的细胞和突触机制， 以及SM细胞的稀疏激发;以及3）确定是否具有独特的空间结构和稀疏激发。 SM细胞中的放电是可能有助于特定视觉功能的专门计算的基础。 为了解决这些问题，我们将协同联合收割机大规模多电极 SM细胞的细胞内记录和高分辨率解剖鉴定 在离体猕猴视网膜，一个独特的和强大的收集方法，非常适合于 任务在这项工作的结论，我们希望了解视觉计算执行 由SM细胞和介导这些计算的机制。

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.