小柯机器人

近日，美国加州大学伯克利分校Teresa Puthussery及其研究组发现灵长类动物视网膜上的一种ON型方向选择性神经节细胞。这一研究成果于2023年10月25日在线发表在国际学术期刊《自然》上。

研究人员表示，了保持稳定而清晰的世界图像，人类的眼睛会反射性地跟随视觉场景移动的方向。当人类在环境中移动时，这种凝视稳定机制会减少图像模糊。在非灵长类哺乳动物中，这种行为是由被称为ON型方向选择性神经节细胞（ON-DSGC）的视网膜输出神经元启动的，这些神经元会检测图像运动的方向，并将信号传送到脑干核，从而驱动眼球的补偿运动。然而，在灵长类动物的视网膜中尚未发现ON-DSGC，因此这种反射可能是由大脑皮层视觉区域介导的。

研究人员挖掘了灵长类动物视网膜的单细胞RNA转录组数据，从而确定了一个候选ON-DSGC。然后，研究人员结合双光子钙成像、分子鉴定和形态分析，揭示了猕猴视网膜中的ON-DSGC群。灵长类ON-DSGC的形态、分子特征和GABA（γ-氨基丁酸）依赖机制与其他哺乳动物的方向选择性高度一致。研究人员还在人类视网膜中发现了一个候选ON-DSGC。灵长类动物中ON-DSGC的存在凸显了研究皮层下视网膜机制，对发育和成熟视觉系统中正常和异常凝视稳定的贡献的必要性。

附：英文原文

Title: An ON-type direction-selective ganglion cell in primate retina

Author: Wang, Anna Y. M., Kulkarni, Manoj M., McLaughlin, Amanda J., Gayet, Jacqueline, Smith, Benjamin E., Hauptschein, Max, McHugh, Cyrus F., Yao, Yvette Y., Puthussery, Teresa

Issue&Volume: 2023-10-25

Abstract: To maintain a stable and clear image of the world, our eyes reflexively follow the direction in which a visual scene is moving. Such gaze-stabilization mechanisms reduce image blur as we move in the environment. In non-primate mammals, this behaviour is initiated by retinal output neurons called ON-type direction-selective ganglion cells (ON-DSGCs), which detect the direction of image motion and transmit signals to brainstem nuclei that drive compensatory eye movements1. However, ON-DSGCs have not yet been identified in the retina of primates, raising the possibility that this reflex is mediated by cortical visual areas. Here we mined single-cell RNA transcriptomic data from primate retina to identify a candidate ON-DSGC. We then combined two-photon calcium imaging, molecular identification and morphological analysis to reveal a population of ON-DSGCs in the macaque retina. The morphology, molecular signature and GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)-dependent mechanisms that underlie direction selectivity in primate ON-DSGCs are highly conserved with those in other mammals. We further identify a candidate ON-DSGC in human retina. The presence of ON-DSGCs in primates highlights the need to examine the contribution of subcortical retinal mechanisms to normal and aberrant gaze stabilization in the developing and mature visual system.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06659-4

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06659-4

Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html