Development of Inhibitory and Excitatory Synapses in Retinal Ganglion Cells
Author Information
Author(s): Florentina Soto, Adam Bleckert, Renate Lewis, Yunhee Kang, Daniel Kerschensteiner, Ann Marie Craig, Rachel Wong
Primary Institution: Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington
Hypothesis
How is the balance of excitation and inhibition attained in the central nervous system during development?
Conclusion
The study suggests that bipolar and amacrine cell synaptogenesis onto retinal ganglion cells is coordinated to achieve a balanced ratio of excitatory and inhibitory synapse densities before visual experience begins.
Supporting Evidence
- Inhibitory synapse density on retinal ganglion cells increased until eye opening.
- The adult ratio of inhibitory to excitatory synapses was reached shortly after glutamatergic synaptogenesis began.
- YFP-NL2 was found to co-localize with markers of inhibitory synapses.
Takeaway
This study looked at how brain cells in the eye connect with each other during development, finding that the connections that help calm down and excite the cells grow together to keep things balanced.
Methodology
The researchers used transgenic mice expressing fluorescently tagged Neuroligin 2 to visualize and map inhibitory synapses on retinal ganglion cells, comparing their development with excitatory synapses.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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