Confronting complexity : Strategies for understanding the microcircuitry of the retina

The mammalian retina contains upward of 50 distinct functional elements, each carrying out a specific task. Such diversity is not rare in the central nervous system, but the retina is privileged because its physical location, the distinctive morphology of its neurons, the regularity of its architect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of neuroscience 2000-01, Vol.23 (1), p.249-284
Main Authors: MASLAND, R. H, RAVIOLA, E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Electrophysiology
Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetic Techniques
Humans
Neural Pathways - cytology
Neural Pathways - physiology
Neurons - cytology
Neurons - physiology
Retina - cytology
Retina - physiology
Retinal Ganglion Cells - physiology
Synapses - physiology
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:The mammalian retina contains upward of 50 distinct functional elements, each carrying out a specific task. Such diversity is not rare in the central nervous system, but the retina is privileged because its physical location, the distinctive morphology of its neurons, the regularity of its architecture, and the accessibility of its inputs and outputs permit a unique variety of experiments. Recent strategies for confronting the retina's complexity attempt to marry genetic approaches to new kinds of anatomical and electrophysiological techniques.
ISSN:0147-006X
1545-4126
DOI:10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.249