Multiple pathways of inhibition shape bipolar cell responses in the retina

Bipolar cells (BCs) are critical relay neurons in the retina that are organized into parallel signaling pathways. The three main signaling pathways in the mammalian retina are the rod, ON cone, and OFF cone BCs. Rod BCs mediate incrementing dim light signals from rods, and ON cone and OFF cone BCs m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Visual neuroscience 2011-01, Vol.28 (1), p.95-108
Main Authors: EGGERS, ERIKA D., LUKASIEWICZ, PETER D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bipolar cell function
Humans
Kinetics
Neurology
Neurons
Patch-Clamp Techniques
Receptors, GABA - physiology
Receptors, GABA-A - physiology
Receptors, Glycine - physiology
Retina
Retina - physiology
Retinal Bipolar Cells - physiology
Signal Transduction - physiology
Space Perception - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Bipolar cells (BCs) are critical relay neurons in the retina that are organized into parallel signaling pathways. The three main signaling pathways in the mammalian retina are the rod, ON cone, and OFF cone BCs. Rod BCs mediate incrementing dim light signals from rods, and ON cone and OFF cone BCs mediate incrementing and decrementing brighter light signals from cones, respectively. The outputs of BCs are shaped by inhibitory inputs from GABAergic and glycinergic amacrine cells in the inner plexiform layer, mediated by three distinct types of inhibitory receptors: GABAA, GABAC, and glycine receptors. The three main BC pathways receive distinct forms of inhibition from these three receptors that shape their light-evoked inhibitory signals. Rod BC inhibition is dominated by slow GABAC receptor inhibition, while OFF cone BCs are dominated by glycinergic inhibition. The inhibitory inputs to BCs are also shaped by serial inhibitory connections between GABAergic amacrine cells that limit the spatial profile of BC inhibition. We discuss our recent studies on how inhibitory inputs to BCs are shaped by receptor expression, receptor properties, and neurotransmitter release properties and how these affect the output of BCs.
ISSN:0952-5238
1469-8714
1469-8714
DOI:10.1017/S0952523810000209