Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325-3908, USA.
Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 17;13(1):2834. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29572-2.
Stage II cholinergic retinal waves are one of the first instances of neural activity in the visual system as they are present at a developmental timepoint in which light-evoked activity remains largely undetectable. These waves of spontaneous neural activity sweeping across the developing retina are generated by starburst amacrine cells, depolarize retinal ganglion cells, and drive the refinement of retinofugal projections to numerous visual centers in the brain. Building from several well-established models, we assemble a spatial computational model of starburst amacrine cell-mediated wave generation and wave propagation that includes three significant advancements. First, we model the intrinsic spontaneous bursting of the starburst amacrine cells, including the slow afterhyperpolarization, which shapes the stochastic process of wave generation. Second, we establish a mechanism of wave propagation using reciprocal acetylcholine release, synchronizing the bursting activity of neighboring starburst amacrine cells. Third, we model the additional starburst amacrine cell release of GABA, changing the spatial propagation of retinal waves and in certain instances, the directional bias of the retinal wave front. In total, these advancements comprise a now more comprehensive model of wave generation, propagation, and direction bias.
II 期胆碱能视网膜波是视觉系统中最早出现的神经活动之一，因为它们出现在光诱发活动仍然基本不可检测的发育时间点。这些自发的神经活动波在发育中的视网膜上横扫，由星爆型无长突细胞产生，去极化视网膜神经节细胞，并驱动视网膜投射到大脑中众多视觉中枢的精细调整。基于几个成熟的模型，我们组装了一个星爆型无长突细胞介导的波产生和波传播的空间计算模型，该模型包括三个重要的进展。首先，我们对星爆型无长突细胞的内在自发性爆发进行建模，包括慢后超极化，它塑造了波产生的随机过程。其次，我们建立了一种使用乙酰胆碱的反向释放来传播波的机制，使相邻的星爆型无长突细胞的爆发活动同步。第三，我们对星爆型无长突细胞释放 GABA 进行建模，改变视网膜波的空间传播，并在某些情况下改变视网膜波前的方向偏置。总的来说，这些进展构成了一个现在更全面的波产生、传播和方向偏置模型。
