title: Illuminating synapses and circuitry in the retina.
abstract: In the central nervous system, space is at a premium. This is especially true in the retina, where synapses, cells, and circuitry have evolved to maximize signal-processing capacity within a thin, optically transparent tissue. For example, at some retinal synapses, single presynaptic active zones contact multiple postsynaptic targets; some individual neurons perform completely different tasks depending on visual conditions, while others execute hundreds of circuit computations in parallel; and the retinal network adapts, at various levels, to the ever-changing visual world. Each of these features reflects efficient use of limited cellular resources to optimally encode visual information.
authors.affiliation: Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Oesch
authors.forename: W Wade
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Kothmann
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Diamond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure