title: Early development and function of the Xenopus tadpole retinotectal circuit.
abstract: The retinotectal circuit is the major component of the amphibian visual system. It is comprised of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the eye, which project their axons to the optic tectum and form synapses onto postsynaptic tectal neurons. The retinotectal circuit is relatively simple, and develops quickly: Xenopus tadpoles begin displaying retinotectal-dependent visual avoidance behaviors by approximately 7-8 days post-fertilization, early larval stage. In this review we first provide a summary of the dynamic development of the retinotectal circuit, including the microcircuitry formed by local tectal-tectal connections within the tectum. Second, we discuss the basic visual avoidance behavior generated specifically by this circuit, and how this behavior is being used as an assay to test visual system function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, United States.
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, United States.
authors.forename: Ali S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hamodi
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, United States. Electronic address: geopratt@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kara G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Pratt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007814:Larva; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D014981:Xenopus / Q000502:physiology*