An ON-type direction-selective ganglion cell in primate retina

To maintain a stable and clear image of the world, our eyes reflexively follow the direction in which a visual scene is moving. Such gaze-stabilization mechanisms reduce image blur as we move in the environment. In non-primate mammals, this behaviour is initiated by retinal output neurons called ON-...

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Published inNature (London) Vol. 623; no. 7986; pp. 381 - 386
Main Authors Wang, Anna Y M, Kulkarni, Manoj M, McLaughlin, Amanda J, Gayet, Jacqueline, Smith, Benjamin E, Hauptschein, Max, McHugh, Cyrus F, Yao, Yvette Y, Puthussery, Teresa
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 09.11.2023
Nature Publishing Group UK
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Summary:To maintain a stable and clear image of the world, our eyes reflexively follow the direction in which a visual scene is moving. Such gaze-stabilization mechanisms reduce image blur as we move in the environment. In non-primate mammals, this behaviour is initiated by retinal output neurons called ON-type direction-selective ganglion cells (ON-DSGCs), which detect the direction of image motion and transmit signals to brainstem nuclei that drive compensatory eye movements . However, ON-DSGCs have not yet been identified in the retina of primates, raising the possibility that this reflex is mediated by cortical visual areas. Here we mined single-cell RNA transcriptomic data from primate retina to identify a candidate ON-DSGC. We then combined two-photon calcium imaging, molecular identification and morphological analysis to reveal a population of ON-DSGCs in the macaque retina. The morphology, molecular signature and GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)-dependent mechanisms that underlie direction selectivity in primate ON-DSGCs are highly conserved with those in other mammals. We further identify a candidate ON-DSGC in human retina. The presence of ON-DSGCs in primates highlights the need to examine the contribution of subcortical retinal mechanisms to normal and aberrant gaze stabilization in the developing and mature visual system.
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ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/s41586-023-06659-4