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Related Experiment Video

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Conserved circuits for direction selectivity in the primate retina.

Sara S Patterson1, Briyana N Bembry2, Marcus A Mazzaferri2

  • 1Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.

Current Biology : CB
|May 19, 2022
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Summary

This study reveals that starburst amacrine cells (SACs) in primate retinas connect to direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (dsRGCs), enabling motion direction detection. This visual computation occurs earlier in the primate visual system than previously understood.

Keywords:
accessory optic systembipolar cellsconnectomicsdirection selectivitymotion processingprimateretinaretinal circuitryretinal ganglion cellsstarburst amacrine cells

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Visual processing
  • Retinal circuitry

Background:

  • Direction selectivity is a fundamental visual function.
  • In non-primates, starburst amacrine cells (SACs) confer direction selectivity to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).
  • The role of SACs and the existence of direction-selective RGCs (dsRGCs) in primates remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the connectivity of the primate ON starburst amacrine cell (SAC) circuit.
  • To identify potential primate dsRGCs and their relationship with SACs.
  • To determine if the structural basis for motion direction detection is conserved in primates.

Main Methods:

  • Serial electron microscopy reconstruction of the macaque central retina.
  • Connectomic analysis of the ON SAC circuit.
  • Identification of postsynaptic targets of SACs.

Main Results:

  • A detailed connectomic map of the primate ON SAC circuit was generated.
  • SACs were found to selectively target a specific type of RGC, a candidate homolog to mammalian ON-sustained dsRGCs.
  • These targeted RGCs project to the accessory optic system (AOS), suggesting a role in gaze stabilization.

Conclusions:

  • The structural basis for conferring directional selectivity is conserved in the primate retina.
  • The primate retina possesses the circuitry for computing motion direction, earlier than previously thought.
  • This finding has implications for understanding gaze-stabilizing reflexes and visual processing in primates.