title: Transgenic mice reveal unexpected diversity of on-off direction-selective retinal ganglion cell subtypes and brain structures involved in motion processing.
abstract: On-Off direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (DSGCs) encode the axis of visual motion. They respond strongly to an object moving in a preferred direction and weakly to an object moving in the opposite, "null," direction. Historically, On-Off DSGCs were classified into four subtypes according to their directional preference (anterior, posterior, superior, or inferior). Here, we compare two genetically identified populations of On-Off DSGCs: dopamine receptor 4 (DRD4)-DSGCs and thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor (TRHR)-DSGCs. We find that although both populations are tuned for posterior motion, they can be distinguished by a variety of physiological and anatomical criteria. First, the directional tuning of TRHR-DSGCs is broader than that of DRD4-DSGCs. Second, whereas both populations project similarly to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, they project differently to the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus and the superior colliculus. Moreover, TRHR-DSGCs, but not DRD4-DSGCs, also project to the zona incerta, a thalamic area not previously known to receive direction-tuned visual information. Our findings reveal unexpected diversity among mouse On-Off DSGC subtypes that uniquely process and convey image motion to the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3200, USA.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivlin-Etzion
authors.forename: Kaili
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elstrott
authors.forename: Phong L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Ben A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Barres
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Huberman
authors.forename: Marla B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Feller
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000367:Age Factors; D025042:Amacrine Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000378:metabolism; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009038:Motion; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4 / Q000235:genetics; D018025:Receptors, Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D050494:Vesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C493599:DRD4 protein, human; D018025:Receptors, Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; C493460:Slc18a3 protein, mouse; D050494:Vesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D002772:Cholera Toxin