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Spatial pattern of spontaneous retinal waves instructs retinotopic map refinement more than activity frequency.
Hong-Ping Xu1, Timothy J Burbridge1, Ming-Gang Chen2
1Department of Neurobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06510.
Developmental Neurobiology
|March 20, 2015
Summary
Spontaneous retinal waves guide brain wiring. Propagating activity patterns, not just overall levels, are crucial for developing precise neural connections, impacting both eye-specific maps and retinotopy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Neurophysiology
Background:
- Spontaneous neural activity is vital for forming precise brain connections during development.
- The exact role of this activity (instructive vs. permissive) in brain wiring, particularly retinotopy, is debated.
- Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) projections form eye-specific and retinotopic maps in the brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the instructive role of spontaneous retinal activity patterns in the development of visual system maps.
- To determine if reduced overall activity or specific activity patterns are essential for retinotopy and eye-specific segregation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Cre-loxP strategy to specifically knock down β2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (β2-nAChRs) in retinal ganglion cells (Rx-β2cKO mice).
- Assessed spontaneous retinal activity in vitro and in vivo in Rx-β2cKO mice and compared it to wild-type (WT) and whole-animal β2-nAChR knockout (β2KO) mice.
- Examined eye-specific segregation and retinotopic map formation in the visual system of these mouse models.
Main Results:
- Rx-β2cKO mice showed reduced overall spontaneous retinal activity, similar to β2KO mice.
- Residual spontaneous waves in Rx-β2cKO mice retained local propagating features, unlike in β2KO mice.
- Eye-specific segregation was impaired in Rx-β2cKO mice, but retinotopic mapping was preserved in a competition-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
- Propagating patterns of spontaneous retinal waves are essential for normal retinotopic map development, even with reduced overall activity.
- These findings support an instructive role for patterned spontaneous retinal activity in both eye-specific segregation and retinotopic refinement.
- Specific activity patterns, rather than just the quantity of neural firing, play a critical instructive role in visual system development.
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