Spatiotemporal analysis of chick retinal waves: GABAergic regulation of wave dynamics

Retinal waves are spreading, correlated spontaneous bursts of activity, that can be used to track different stages of the developing retina. We used multi-electrode recordings to record from early (E8) to late developmental stages (P0) in the chick retina, allowing us to parametrize the retinal wave activity using burst and wave detection methods. For instance, during the early stages, the waves observed cover a sizable fraction of the recording area. At later stages of development, the waves get more localized, covering small patches of the retina. Our studies reveal that these changes in the lateral spread of wave propagation is due to the effect of the neurotransmitter Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), that is inhibitory at later stages as the system develops a hierarchical, branched architecture.