Morphology of primate's dopaminergic amacrine cells as revealed by TH-like immunoreactivity on retinal flat-mounts

Dopaminergic (DA) cells have been revealed by immunohistochemical localization of tyrosine hydroxylase in the retina of cynomolgus monkey, chimpanzee and human. The DA neurons were visualized in cross-sections as well as in flat-mounts of retina. The comparison revealed a striking morphological similarity between the DA neurons in the three species. When observed in flat-mounts, they were of stellate type; when observed in cross-sections, except for a few displaced cells, they were unistratified amacrine cells branching in the outermost sublayer of the inner plexiform layer. Observations in sections suggested the existence of DA-interplexiform cells in ape and human retinas.