Development of intrinsic membrane properties in mammalian retinal ganglion cells

It is now well established that retinal ganglion activity is essential to the normal development of the mammalian visual system. Moreover, it has been shown that the critical periods of activity occur well before the time when the retina is capable of detecting light. To better understand these activity-mediated events, patch-clamp studies have begun to examine the development of intrinsic membrane properties in isolated and intact retinal ganglion cells. Here we review the major findings of these studies and highlight the similarities in the functional development of ganglion cells in a number of mammalian species.