Abstract: One major part of the visual pathway is the retina. In the retina, there are many types of cells, including rod bipolar cells, photoreceptors, ganglion cells, and amacrine cells. The interactions between these cell types allows for the transmission of information from our visual field to our brain, creating visual perception. One subtype, amacrine cells, play an important role by creating inhibitory synapses on other cell types. A17 amacrine cells, an even more specific subtype, generally receive input from bipolar cells and then relay this information onto rod bipolar cell axons. Additionally, these cells branch widely, and most branches can be found in the Inner Plexiform Layer of the retina. Currently, I am conducting research on amacrine cells by tracing and analyzing the branches and cell bodies of neurons contained in a electron microscopy dataset. I analyze the dataset using a computer programmed called Knossos. Using this program, I have found amacrine cells that exhibit a behavior characteristic of A17 cells; synapsing onto rod bipolar cell axons. Additionally, these cells seem to be bifurcated at the soma, and are mostly not in the IPL. Because of this, we can conclude these are not A17 cells, and this proposal seeks to explain how I will go about discovering more about this unknown cell type and what it’s role may be in the visual pathway. This information can be useful, as expanding the general knowledgebase may allow us to better understand visual diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, which refers to retinal degeneration. WC: 251 Reader would be my program director Reader response: It is very interesting to potentially identify a cell type previously undocumented. However, how can you be sure that your groups of unknown cells are all the same type or if they all interact in similar manners. Electron microscopy offers anatomical analysis, however, as it is a compilation of images, this does not directly give us any physiological information. Any physiological roles this cell type may play must either be speculated or tested through further live experimentation.
One major part of the visual pathway is the retina. In the retina, there are many types of cells, including rod bipolar cells, photoreceptors, ganglion cells, and amacrine cells. The interactions between these cell types allows for the transmission of information from our visual field to our brain, creating visual perception. One subtype, amacrine cells, play an important role by creating inhibitory synapses on other cell types. A17 amacrine cells, an even more specific subtype, generally receive input from bipolar cells and then relay this information onto rod bipolar cell axons. Additionally, these cells branch widely, and most branches can be found in the Inner Plexiform Layer of the retina. Currently, I am conducting research on amacrine cells by tracing and analyzing the branches and cell bodies of neurons contained in a electron microscopy dataset. I analyze the dataset using a computer programmed called Knossos. Using this program, I have found amacrine cells that exhibit a behavior characteristic of A17 cells; synapsing onto rod bipolar cell axons. Additionally, these cells seem to be bifurcated at the soma, and are mostly not in the IPL. Because of this, we can conclude these are not A17 cells, and this proposal seeks to explain how I will go about discovering more about this unknown cell type and what it’s role may be in the visual pathway. This information can be useful, as expanding the general knowledgebase may allow us to better understand visual diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, which refers to retinal degeneration.
WC: 251
Reader would be my program director
Reader response:
It is very interesting to potentially identify a cell type previously undocumented. However, how can you be sure that your groups of unknown cells are all the same type or if they all interact in similar manners. Electron microscopy offers anatomical analysis, however, as it is a compilation of images, this does not directly give us any physiological information. Any physiological roles this cell type may play must either be speculated or tested through further live experimentation.