title: A synaptic mechanism for temporal filtering of visual signals.
abstract: The visual system transmits information about fast and slow changes in light intensity through separate neural pathways. We used in vivo imaging to investigate how bipolar cells transmit these signals to the inner retina. We found that the volume of the synaptic terminal is an intrinsic property that contributes to different temporal filters. Individual cells transmit through multiple terminals varying in size, but smaller terminals generate faster and larger calcium transients to trigger vesicle release with higher initial gain, followed by more profound adaptation. Smaller terminals transmitted higher stimulus frequencies more effectively. Modeling global calcium dynamics triggering vesicle release indicated that variations in the volume of presynaptic compartments contribute directly to all these differences in response dynamics. These results indicate how one neuron can transmit different temporal components in the visual signal through synaptic terminals of varying geometries with different adaptational properties.
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baden
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikolaev
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Esposti
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dreosti
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Odermatt
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, United Kingdom; School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lagnado
mesh_terms: D000221:Adaptation, Ocular; D000818:Animals; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D006054:Goldfish; D008954:Models, Biological; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism*; D051245:Retinal Bipolar Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission; D014785:Vision, Ocular; D015027:Zebrafish