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Retina of the tadpole and frog: Delayed dendritic development in a subpopulation of ganglion cells coincident with metamorphosis
Author(s) -
Frank Bennett D.,
Hollyfield Joe G.
Publication year - 1987
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.902660309
Subject(s) - tadpole (physics) , metamorphosis , biology , giant retinal ganglion cells , ganglion , retina , anatomy , parasol cell , grenouille , horseradish peroxidase , intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells , neuroscience , rana , retinal ganglion cell , salientia , larva , ecology , xenopus , physics , biochemistry , particle physics , gene , enzyme
In this study, the morphology of tadpole retinal ganglion cells was compared to that of frogs to determine if changes in dendritic structure occur during metamorphosis. Ganglion cells were analyzed in the tadpole and frog after backfilling with horseradish peroxidase. Representative ganglion cells are present in the tadpole retina, which directly correspond to each of the 7 cell classes found in the frog. However, cells in 3 of these classes (1, 3, and 7) exist in morphologically immature states in retinas from tadpole stages St. XIV‐XIX. New dendritic branches appear and the dendritic arbors of these ganglion cells expand during metamorphosis. We propose that the increased dendritic arborization may be followed by new synaptic contacts onto these cells, which contributes to the emergence of new physiological receptive field properties in the frog.