Circuit mechanisms underlying embryonic retinal waves.

ABSTRACT: Spontaneous activity is a hallmark of developing neural systems. In the retina, spontaneous activity comes in the form of retinal waves, comprised of three stages persisting from embryonic day 16 (E16) to eye opening at postnatal day 14 (P14). Though postnatal retinal waves have been well characterized, little is known about the spatiotemporal properties or the mechanisms mediating embryonic retinal waves, designated stage 1 waves. Using a custom-built macroscope to record spontaneous calcium transients from whole embryonic retinas, we show that stage 1 waves are initiated at several locations across the retina and propagate across a broad range of areas. Blocking gap junctions reduced the frequency and size of stage 1 waves, nearly abolishing them. Global blockade of nAChRs similarly near

SUBMITTER: Voufo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9988258 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature