title: Effects of antibodies to large retinal ganglion cells on developing retinogeniculate pathways in the cat.
abstract: We investigated the effects of polyclonal antibodies, produced against ox large retinal ganglion cells, on the developing retinogeniculate pathways of cats. Four-week-old kittens were given an intraocular injection of either a low or a high concentration of the antibodies and effects were assessed 35-69 weeks later. After a low concentration (110 micrograms/33 microliter volume) injection, the density of retinal alpha-cells (the morphological counterpart of Y-cells) was reduced 44% in area centralis and 37% in peripheral retina. After a high concentration (333 micrograms/33 microliter volume) injection, alpha-cell density was reduced 76% in area centralis and 91% in peripheral retina. The same concentration of antibodies had no consistent effect on the numbers of medium- or small-size retinal ganglion cells. Electrophysiological recordings from single neurons in layers A and A1 of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) revealed a 53% decrease in the percentage of Y-cells after a low-concentration injection and an 82% decrease after a high-concentration injection. There was a concomitant increase in the percentage of LGN cells that were non-responsive to light or that responded too poorly to be classified. No change was observed in the percentages of LGN X-cells or cells with mixed response properties. The reduced encounter rate of LGN Y-cells was not accompanied by significant changes in LGN cell-body size. Together, the results indicate that the immunoablation technique produces a large and apparently selective reduction of the Y-cell retinogeniculate pathway in developing kittens.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D002415:Cats; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D012160:Retina / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000254:growth & development; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies