title: Genetic identification of an On-Off direction-selective retinal ganglion cell subtype reveals a layer-specific subcortical map of posterior motion.
abstract: Motion detection is an essential component of visual processing. On-Off direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (On-Off DSGCs) detect objects moving along specific axes of the visual field due to their precise retinal circuitry. The brain circuitry of On-Off DSGCs, however, is largely unknown. We report a mouse with GFP expressed selectively by the On-Off DSGCs that detect posterior motion (On-Off pDSGCs), allowing two-photon targeted recordings of their light responses and delineation of their complete map of central connections. On-Off pDSGCs project exclusively to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and superior colliculus and in both targets form synaptic lamina that are separate from a lamina corresponding to non-DSGCs. Thus, individual On-Off DSGC subtypes are molecularly distinct and establish circuits that map specific qualities of directional motion to dedicated subcortical areas. This suggests that each RGC subtype represents a unique parallel pathway whose synaptic specificity in the retina is recapitulated in central targets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA. adh1@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Huberman
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elstrott
authors.forename: Ben K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: Marla B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Feller
authors.forename: Ben A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Barres
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D049408:Luminescent Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D049408:Luminescent Agents; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins