Intracellular staining reveals different levels of stratification for on- and off-center ganglion cells in cat retina

Abstract

1. Ganglion cells in the retina of the cat were stained by intracellular dye injection after recording their responses to photic stimulation. 2. All cells encountered were divided into those giving on-responses and those producing off-responses, and the level of dendritic branching of these two groups was compared. Cells giving off-responses were found to branch high in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), near the amacrine cell bodies (sublamina a); those giving on-responses were found to branch lower in the inner plexiform layer (sublamina b). 3. Dye-injected cells varied widely in morphology and size, having cell bodies ranging in diameter from 8 to 32 micrometer and dendritic fields ranging from 25 to 490 micrometer in diameter; yet the sign of the response of each unit correlated only with the level of dendritic branching. Thus, no other morphological feature except stratification appears to be important in determining the sign of the response of these cells. 4. The stratification of ganglion cells into on- and off-layers parallels the distribution of the axon terminals of the flat and invaginating cone bipolars. Flat cone bipolars are in a position to contact off-center ganglion cells (in sublamina a) and invaginating cone bipolars are in a position to contact on-center ganglion cells (in sublamina b). 5. The rod and cone inputs to some cells were characterized by comparing their responses to deep red and blue rod-matched stimuli over a 2-log unit range starting at dark-adapted threshold. About half the cells appeared to be rod dominated under these conditions, whereas the others appeared to have mixed rod and cone signals. 6. The nature of the rod and cone pathways to ganglion cells is discussed.

c-Fos expression in the visual system of the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri)

“…DeBruyn and Casagrande (1983) found that, on the one hand, the ganglion cells projecting to the dLGN layers containing ON-center cells have dendrites which appear to ramify close to the cell body in the upper part of the inner plexiform layer (IPL); and on the other hand, ganglion cells which project to the dLGN layers containing OFF-center cells have dendrites which appear to extend further from the cell body into the lower part of the IPL. Thus, in the tree shrew, as in other species (Famiglietti and Kolb, 1976;Nelson et al, 1978) the spatial segregation of ON-and OFF-center cells appears to be organized initially in the retina. Therefore, we explain the fact that during the dark period exist c-Fos expression in the GCL and the INL because there are phasic and tonic OFFcenter cells active, which after a dark period (in this study 15 h), the phasic cells are inhibited, but not the tonic ones.…”

Unique Functional Properties of On and Off Pathways in the Developing Mammalian Retina

“…The position and extent of labeled dendrites was then referenced with respect to these retinal landmarks. The I PL was divided into On and Off sublaminas using commonly accepted standards in which the inner three-fifths is considered On and the outer two-fifths Off (Famiglietti and Kolb, 1976;Nelson et al, 1978;Wong and Oakley, 1996). Both methods gave equivalent results and, because the former was less labor intensive, it was used more frequently.…”

“…Thus, the axons of On-cone and Off-cone bipolar cells terminate in two distinct strata of the inner plexiform layer (IPL) in which they form synapses with the dendrites of On and Off retinal ganglion cells (Famiglietti and Kolb, 1976;Nelson et al, 1978). In contrast, early in development, the dendritic processes of ganglion cells ramify throughout the IPL (Dann et al, 1988;Maslim and Stone, 1988;Ramoa et al, 1988).…”

Identification and Characterization of a Y-Like Primate Retinal Ganglion Cell Type

“…Because the upsilon cells are OFF-type cells with no evidence for ON-OFF responses (i.e., no significant responses to both light intensity increments and decrements) (Fig. 3e), we expect that they would correspond to a cell whose dendrites narrowly stratify in the outer part of the inner plexiform layer (Nelson et al, 1978;Peichl and Wassle, 1981). Also, because the upsilon cells do not show any significant S-cone/(L ϩ M)-cone opponent response properties, we do not expect them to correspond to the sparse or giant sparse (melanopsinexpressing) cells (Dacey and Packer, 2003;Dacey, 2004;Dacey et al, 2005).…”