Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

Vision

53.5K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
53.5K
The Retina01:32

The Retina

69.1K
The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.
69.1K
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

7.1K
The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle...
7.1K
Visual System01:26

Visual System

591
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
591
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

6.1K
At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category,...
6.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

iPSC-derived cerebral organoids reveal mitochondrial, inflammatory and neuronal vulnerabilities in bipolar disorder.

Translational psychiatry·2025
Same author

Mitochondria and oxidative stress in epilepsy: advances in antioxidant therapy.

Frontiers in pharmacology·2025
Same author

Spatiotemporal properties of glutamate input support direction selectivity in the dendrites of retinal starburst amacrine cells.

eLife·2022
Same author

The functional organization of excitation and inhibition in the dendrites of mouse direction-selective ganglion cells.

eLife·2020
Same author

Retinal direction selectivity in the absence of asymmetric starburst amacrine cell responses.

eLife·2019

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2025

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision
05:07

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision

Published on: June 13, 2019

11.3K

Neural Circuits Underlying Multifeature Extraction in the Retina.

Prathyusha Ravi Chander1, Laura Hanson1, Pavitra Chundekkad1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 4A4, Canada.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|November 13, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) gain orientation selectivity through a novel mechanism. Starburst amacrine cells transform glutamate input, creating specific inhibition and excitation patterns for visual processing.

Keywords:
DSGCsconnexin 36direction-selectiveorientation-selectiveretinastarburst amacrine cell

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Simple and Efficient Neural Retina Organoid Production for Disease Modeling
05:03

Author Spotlight: Simple and Efficient Neural Retina Organoid Production for Disease Modeling

Published on: December 22, 2023

1.3K
An Isolated Retinal Preparation to Record Light Response from Genetically Labeled Retinal Ganglion Cells
13:02

An Isolated Retinal Preparation to Record Light Response from Genetically Labeled Retinal Ganglion Cells

Published on: January 26, 2011

16.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2025

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision
05:07

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision

Published on: June 13, 2019

11.3K
Author Spotlight: Simple and Efficient Neural Retina Organoid Production for Disease Modeling
05:03

Author Spotlight: Simple and Efficient Neural Retina Organoid Production for Disease Modeling

Published on: December 22, 2023

1.3K
An Isolated Retinal Preparation to Record Light Response from Genetically Labeled Retinal Ganglion Cells
13:02

An Isolated Retinal Preparation to Record Light Response from Genetically Labeled Retinal Ganglion Cells

Published on: January 26, 2011

16.8K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Retinal Physiology
  • Visual Processing

Background:

  • Direction-selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) are crucial for encoding motion.
  • Recent findings indicate DSGCs also exhibit orientation selectivity.
  • The underlying mechanisms for this orientation selectivity remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the synaptic mechanisms contributing to orientation selectivity in DSGCs.
  • To determine the roles of glutamate, GABA, and acetylcholine (ACh) inputs.
  • To elucidate how visual information is processed in the mouse retina.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiology (extracellular spike recordings, whole-cell patch-clamp)
  • Optogenetics
  • Gene knock-out strategies
  • Analysis of synaptic inputs in male and female mouse retinas.

Main Results:

  • DSGCs showed orientation selectivity, responding to bars perpendicular to their motion axis.
  • Glutamatergic input was vertically tuned, relying on type 5A bipolar cells and gap junctions.
  • Starburst amacrine cells (SACs) transformed vertical inputs into directional inhibition/excitation.
  • SAC-mediated inhibition vetoed specific glutamate excitation, reorienting tuning by 90° in some DSGCs.

Conclusions:

  • Two distinct synaptic motifs (glutamatergic excitation and GABAergic/cholinergic inhibition) interact to generate orientation selectivity.
  • Starburst amacrine cells play a critical role in transforming sensory input for complex feature detection.
  • This study reveals intricate retinal circuitry for sophisticated visual processing.