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Dissection, Culture, and Analysis of Xenopus laevis Embryonic Retinal Tissue
Published on: December 23, 2012
Vision drives correlated activity without patterned spontaneous activity in developing Xenopus retina
James A Demas1, Hannah Payne, Hollis T Cline
1Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Developmental Neurobiology
|February 12, 2011
Summary
Developing Xenopus tadpoles rely on vision, not spontaneous retinal waves, for refining visual circuits. Unlike amniotes, their retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) use visually driven activity for topographic map formation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Vision Research
Background:
- Developing amphibians require vision for survival before full visual system maturation.
- Mammalian and avian visual systems rely on spontaneous retinal activity waves for circuit refinement in the absence of vision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of spontaneous activity and visual experience in the refinement of visual circuits in developing Xenopus tadpoles.
- To compare the strategies of visual circuit refinement between amphibians and amniotes.
Main Methods:
- Recorded spontaneous and visually evoked activity of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in Xenopus tadpoles at various developmental stages.
- Utilized pharmacological blockers for AMPA, NMDA, and GABA(A) receptors to assess the contribution of different neurotransmitter systems to RGC activity.
- Compared activity patterns with those observed in amniote species.
Main Results:
- Xenopus tadpoles exhibit spontaneous RGC activity, but it does not form waves characteristic of amniotes.
- Visual stimulation in Xenopus tadpoles generates correlated RGC activity patterns similar to those seen in amniotes.
- AMPA and NMDA receptor blockade reduced spontaneous activity, while GABA(A) receptor blockade did not.
Conclusions:
- Vision, rather than spontaneous waves, drives the correlated activity necessary for topographic map formation in developing Xenopus.
- Amphibians and amniotes have evolved distinct mechanisms for generating patterned RGC activity to refine visual circuits.
