Torborg Christine L, Feller Marla B
Neurobiology Section 0357, Division of Biological Sciences, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0357, USA.
J Neurosci Methods. 2004 May 30;135(1-2):17-26. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2003.11.019.
The projection of retinal ganglion cell axons to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (dLGN) is organized into eye-specific layers, which are macroscopic structures that reflect the bulk organization of thousands of axons. The processes that underlie the formation of these layers is the focus of research in several laboratories. The recent advent of fluorescently tagged tracers allows for the simultaneous visualization of axons from both eyes in the same dLGN section and therefore the analysis of axonal segregation patterns. However, the techniques traditionally used to quantify eye-specific segregation are far from standardized. Here we present an analysis method that objectively quantifies the extent of segregation. We apply this analyses to dLGN images from mice with normal retinogeniculate projection patterns and genetically altered mice with dramatically altered projection patterns. In addition, we compare dLGN images acquired at different optical resolutions to measure the spatial scale over which we can determine segregation unambiguously.
视网膜神经节细胞轴突向丘脑背外侧膝状核（dLGN）的投射被组织成眼特异性层，这些层是反映数千条轴突整体组织的宏观结构。这些层形成的潜在过程是多个实验室的研究重点。荧光标记示踪剂的近期出现使得在同一dLGN切片中同时可视化来自双眼的轴突成为可能，从而能够分析轴突分离模式。然而，传统上用于量化眼特异性分离的技术远未标准化。在此，我们提出一种客观量化分离程度的分析方法。我们将这种分析应用于具有正常视网膜膝状体投射模式的小鼠以及投射模式发生显著改变的基因改造小鼠的dLGN图像。此外，我们比较了在不同光学分辨率下获取的dLGN图像，以测量我们能够明确确定分离的空间尺度。
