MLA-sensitive cholinergic receptors involved in the detection of complex moving stimuli in retina

• Published in: Visual neuroscience Vol. 21; no. 6; pp. 861 - 872
• Main Authors: REED, B.T., KEYSER, K.T., AMTHOR, F.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.11.2004
• Subjects: Acetylcholine; Aconitine - analogs & derivatives; Aconitine - pharmacology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cells; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; MLA; Motion Perception - physiology; Neurons; Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; Permeability; Photic Stimulation - methods; Rabbits; Receptors, Nicotinic - drug effects; Receptors, Nicotinic - physiology; Retina; Retina - physiology; Retinal ganglion cells; Retinal Ganglion Cells - physiology; Second-order motion; Studies; Transparent motion; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; α-bungarotoxin; Retinal ganglion cells; MLA; α7; Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; α-bungarotoxin; Acetylcholine; Transparent motion; Second-order motion; Stimulus movement; Retina; Lagomorpha; Direction; Eye; Visual system; Spatial frequency; Ganglion neuron; Cholinergic receptor; Vertebrata; Oryctolagus cuniculus; Visual stimulus; Mammalia; Vision; Motion detection; Nicotinic receptor
• ISSN: 0952-5238; 1469-8714
• DOI: 10.1017/S0952523804216066

Acetylcholine, acting through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, mediates the response properties of many ganglion cells in the rabbit retina, including those that are directionally selective (DS; Ariel & Daw, 1982a,b). For example, Grzywacz et al. (1998) showed that cholinergic input is necessary for DS responses to drifting gratings, a form of textured stimulus. However, the identities and locations of the neuronal acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes that mediate this input are not clear (Keyser et al., 2000). We investigated the role of methyllycaconitine-sensitive, α7-like nAChRs in mediating DS responses to textured stimuli and apparent motion. We recorded extracellularly from On–Off DS ganglion cells in rabbit retina using everted eyecup preparations. Our data provide evidence that MLA-sensitive nAChRs are involved in mediating directionally selective responses to apparent motion and to a variety of complex, textured stimuli such as drifting square-wave gratings, transparent motion, and second-order motion.