Influence of spontaneous activity and visual experience on developing retinal receptive fields

Current Biology : CB
E Sernagor, N M Grzywacz

Abstract

The role played by early neural activity in shaping retinal functions has not yet been established. In the developing vertebrate retina, ganglion cells fire spontaneous bursts of action potentials before the onset of visual experience. This spontaneous bursting disappears shortly after birth or eye opening. In the present study, we have investigated whether the outgrowth of receptive fields in turtle retinal ganglion cells is affected by early spontaneous bursting or by early visual experience. Ganglion cells normally stop bursting spontaneously 2-4 weeks post-hatching, the time when receptive-field areas reach adult size. When turtles are reared in the dark, the spontaneous bursting persists. Concomitantly, receptive-field areas expand to more than twice those observed in normal adults. To test whether chronic blockade of spontaneous bursting inhibits the expansion of developing receptive-field areas, we have exposed the retina to curare, a nicotinic cholinergic antagonist, because spontaneous bursting by ganglion cells requires acetylcholine. Curare was released from Elvax, a slow-release polymer that was implanted in the eye. When spontaneous bursting was chronically blocked with curare in hatchlings, dark-induced expansion ...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 11, 2000·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·L T NguyenN M Grzywacz
May 11, 2000·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·L T Nguyen, N M Grzywacz
Nov 1, 2000·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·I B KimM H Chun
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Mar 11, 1999·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·M J O'Donovan
Jul 20, 2002·Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology·M Heather West GreenleeDonald S Sakaguchi
Feb 15, 2001·Progress in Retinal and Eye Research·E SernagorR O Wong
May 13, 2004·Visual Neuroscience·Setareh Vistamehr, Ning Tian
Jul 27, 2011·Visual Neuroscience·Kevin J Ford, Marla B Feller
Nov 6, 2001·Journal of Anatomy·E Sernagor, V Mehta
Feb 11, 2003·The Journal of Physiology·Arturo PiconesJuan I Korenbrot
Apr 15, 1999·Annual Review of Neuroscience·R O Wong
Jan 29, 2010·Journal of Neurophysiology·Anastacia AnishchenkoE J Chichilnisky
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Dec 25, 2013·The Journal of Physiology·Alessandro MaccioneEvelyne Sernagor
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Nov 11, 2005·Progress in Neurobiology·Christine L Torborg, Marla B Feller
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Aug 26, 2006·The European Journal of Neuroscience·Vandana Mehta, Evelyne Sernagor
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Oct 2, 2012·Neuroscience·F P ChabrolE Sernagor
Oct 23, 2012·NeuroImage·Manh Nguyen TrongThomas R Knösche

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