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Retinal ganglion cells projecting to the rabbit accessory optic system
Author(s) -
Oyster Clyde W.,
Simpson John I.,
Takahashi Ellen S.,
Soodak Robert E.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.901900105
Subject(s) - inner plexiform layer , retina , parasol cell , biology , giant retinal ganglion cells , retinal waves , horseradish peroxidase , ganglion , nucleus , retinal , anatomy , bistratified cell , soma , intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells , axoplasmic transport , cell type , ganglion cell layer , neuroscience , inner nuclear layer , retinal ganglion cell , cell , biochemistry , enzyme
Recent evidence from extracellular recording studies indicates that the medial terminal nucleus (MTN) of the rabbit accessory optic system receives inputs from a particular functional class of retinal ganglion cells—specifically, the on‐type direction‐selective cells. These ganglion cells have been selectively labeled by the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injected into the MTN. The number of labeled cells, their distribution over the retina, and their soma areas were determined. In one animal in which the HRP injection completely filled the nucleus, two thousand ganglion cells were labeled. This number agrees with previous estimates of the number of retinal axons terminating in the MTN. Unlike results in avians, none of the ganglion cells was displaced—i.e., they were not Dogiel cells. The density of labeled cells was highest in the visual streak and, overall, the distribution of labeled cells corresponded to the physiologically determined distribution of on‐type direction‐selective cells. Cells labeled by the HRP injection were among the 20% largest cells in the retina. This result, in conjunction with conclusions from other studies, leads to the prediction that on‐type direction‐selective cells can be characterized morphologically as cells with large cell bodies and a very extensive dendritic spread in which the dendrites ramify in the vitreal sublamina of the inner plexiform layer.