Related Experiment Videos
Dopaminergic behaviour in chicken retina and the effect of form deprivation
P L Megaw1, I G Morgan, M K Boelen
1Centre for Research on Ageing and Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. respm@redgum.bendigo.latrobe.edu.au
Purpose:
Dopamine (DA) is considered to be a neurotransmitter involved in light-adaptive responses in the retina and has been implicated in the control of the eye growth induced by form deprivation. Vitreal DOPAC was shown to be a good indicator of retinal dopaminergic activity.
Methods/Results:
Dopaminergic activity was highest during the light; with vitreal DOPAC levels rising within 3 h of light exposure. Form deprivation attenuated dopaminergic activity, as the rise in vitreal DOPAC levels on light exposure was reduced in form-deprived eyes, compared with control eyes.
Conclusion:
The lack of sustained activation of DA release may explain the role of DA in the control of eye-growth.