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1988 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Function and morphology of vertebrate retina

Research Project

Project/Area Number 61570080
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Research Field Neurophysiology and muscle physiology
Research InstitutionOkazaki National Research Institute

Principal Investigator

SAKAI Hiroko  National Institute for Basic Biology, 基礎生物学研究所, 助手 (40132732)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) NAKA Ken-ichi  National Institute for Basic Biology, 基礎生物学研究所, 教授 (90132737)
Project Period (FY) 1986 – 1988
KeywordsNeuron Network / White-noise analysis / Transfer function / 伝達関数 / 細胞内染色
Research Abstract

A major goal of our studies on vertebrate retina is to dissect neuronal circuitry by identifying the transfer function between neurons,i.e., to recover the neuronal filter that transforms the responses of the presynaptic neuron to those of the postsynaptic neuron. The most direct means of dissecting complex circuitry and of identifying such a filter, either in biology or in engineering, is to inject a test signal into one circuit element and to record the resulting and transformed signals in another element.
Intracellular recordings were made simultaneously from two neighboring neurons in the eye-cup preparation of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. After identifying cell types by the responses evoked by light stimuli, an extrinsic current, modulated by pulse, sinusoid or Gaussian white-noise signal, was successively injected into one neuron and the resulting response was recorded from the other neuron. The tips of the two electrodes were about 0.2-0.4 mm part. In the case of Gaussian white-noise current, input current 20s in duration was cross-correlated against the response to compute first-and second-order Wiener kernels. Experiments were controlled by passing a current into nearby extracellular space to verify that the observed results were from the current injected into a neuron. For the study of synaptic organization of the retinal neurons, HRP-marked neurons were examined under an electron microscope.
Our results indicate that retinal circuitry is a highly interconnected network. The pattern of interconnections may not be rigidly fixed in natural photic environment; rather the weights of connections may undergo modification as a function of spatially and temporally changing visual inputs. It appears, therefore, that signal interaction in the retina may involve new principles hitherto unknown in neurophysiology.

  • Research Products

    (12 results)

All Other

All Publications (12 results)

  • [Publications] Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.I.: J.Neurophysiol.58. 1307-1328 (1987)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.-I.: J.Neurophysiol.58. 1329-1350 (1987)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.-I.;Korenberg,M.J.: Visual Neurosci.1. 287-296 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.-I.: J.Neurophysiol.60. 1549-1567 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.I.: J.Neurophysiol.60. 1568-1583 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Korenberg,M.J.;Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.-I.: J.Neurophysiol.

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai,H.M.;Naka,K.-I.: "Neuron Network in Catfish Retina:1968ー1987" Pergamon, 60 (1987)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, H.M.; Naka, K.I.: "Signal transmission in catfish retina. IV. Transmission to ganglion cells" J. Neurophysiol.58. 1307-1328 (1987)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, H.M.; Naka, K.-I.: "Signal transmission in catfish retina. V. Sensitivity and circuitry" J. Neurophysiol.58. 1329-1350 (1987)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, H.M.; Naka, K.-I.; Korenberg, M.J.: "White-noise analysis in visual neuroscience." Visual Neurosci.1. 287-296 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, H.M.; Naka, K.-I.: "Dissection of the neuron network in the catfish inner retina. I. Transmission to ganglion cells." J. Neurophysiol.60. 1549-1567 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Sakai, H.M.; Naka, K.I.: "Dissection of the neuron network in the catfish inner retina. II. Interactions between ganglion cells." J. Neurophysiol.60. 1568-1583 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 1990-03-20  

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