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  1. The Cilium

    With the exception of a few types of cells, (acinar cells, T lymphocytes and hepatocytes), every cell in your body has a cilia.  In the vision community, we are used to seeing these structures in the distal portion of the photoreceptors.  The reality is that every cell in the retina has a cilium and some cells [...]

    Jun 7, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  2. GFAP And Collagen IV In Retina

    Friend of Webvision, Gabriel Luna sent this laser confocal image of a wholemount from a normal mouse retina immuno-stained with anti-GFAP (red; astrocytes) and anti-Collagen IV (blue; blood vessels).  Gabe is out of the Steve Fisher and Geoff Lewis’s retinal cell biology group at UC Santa Barbara Neuroscience Research Institute. Thanks Gabe!    

    May 22, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  3. New Webvision Chapter: Evolution of Phototransduction, Vertebrate Photoreceptors and Retina

    After much work by a number of our contributors, not the least of whom is the author of this particular effort, we have a spectacular new addition to Webvision:  A section on the Evolution of Phototransduction, Vertebrate Photoreceptors and Retina by Trevor D. Lamb.  Be sure to check it out and let us know what you [...]

    May 15, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  4. Constructive Retinal Plasticity After Selective Ablation of the Photoreceptors

    This abstract was presented today at the Association for Research in Vision and Opthalmology (ARVO) meetings in Seattle, Washington by Corinne N. Beier, myself, Philip Huie, Yannis M. Paulus, Daniel Lavinsky, Loh-Shan B. Leung, Hiroyuki Nomoto,  Robert E. Marc, Daniel V. Palanker, and Alexander Sher.

    May 7, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  5. Sparse Network Principles of GABAergic Amacrine Cell Heterocellular Coupling

    This abstract was presented today at the Association for Research in Vision and Opthalmology (ARVO) meetings in Seattle, Washington by Crystal L. Sigulinsky, J. Scott Lauritzen, John V. Hoang, Carl B. Watt, Bryan W. Jones, James R. Anderson, Shoeb Mohammed and Robert E. Marc.

    May 6, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  6. Building Retinal Connectomes

    There has been quite a bit of discussion of connectomes in the last while with President Obama’s new BRAIN initiative.  It is important to consider some of the requirements of obtaining a true synapse level wiring map in the brain as many are articulating from this initiative.  While there are new technologies that will be [...]

    Apr 22, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  7. Notable Paper: Paired-Pulse Plasticity In The Strength and Latency of Light-Evoked Lateral Inhibition to Retinal Bipolar Cell Terminals

    I’ve been doing some reading in plasticity recently and found this paper in the Journal of Neuroscience by Evan Vickers, Mean-Hwan Kim, Jozsef Vigh, and Henrique von Gersdorff published last summer that looks at short term plasticity in the Inner Plexiform Layer mediating light adaptation.  Working in goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus) retina (an amazing retina), Vickers et. al. [...]

    Feb 21, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  8. Interesting: The Spatial Organization Of Cholinergic Mosaics In The Adult Mouse Retina

    This Short Communication published in the European Journal of Neuroscience back in 2000 by Lucia Galli-Resta, Elena Novelli, Maila Volpini and Enrica Strettoi was a paper I did not know existed.  That said, I ran into it the other day looking for some reference material and found it to be quite useful.  This communication represents an analysis of [...]

    Feb 13, 2013 — Read more No Comments

  9. Human Retina With Astrocytes And Microglia

    This image from Scott McLeod from Jerry Lutty’s lab, is a wholemount human retina preparation triple labeled with fluorescent antibodies that stain blood vessels (blue), astrocytes (red) and microglia (green).  The specimen was imaged on a Zeiss 710 Confocal Microscope and is merged from 46 optical Z sections. It originally appeared on Flickr here.  You [...]

    Dec 30, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  10. Interesting Paper: Gene Expression Changes Within Müller Glial Cells in Retinitis Pigmentosa

    Retinal degenerations are accompanied by retinal remodeling events.  These events alter the structure and function of the retina and involve to a large extent, Müller cells which seem to serve as pathways for neuronal migration.  This paper by Karin Roesch, Michael B. Stadler and Constance L. Cepko looks at gene expression changes in the Müller cells, one [...]

    Nov 13, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  11. Interesting Paper: Creatine Transporter Immunolocalization In Aged Human And Detached Retinas

    This manuscript by Clairton F de Souza, Michael Kalloniatis, David L Christie, Philip J Polkinghorne, Charles N J McGhee and Monica L Acosta examines the distribution of creatine transporter in the aging human retina, particularly after retinal detachment.  The questions behind this paper have ultimately to do with examining markers of energy metabolism in the retina and any [...]

    Oct 22, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  12. The Rd8 mutation of the Crb1 gene is present in vendor lines of C57BL/6N mice and embryonic stem cells

    This is an important issue for anyone involved in using murine models of retinal degeneration.  It turns out that contamination of Rd8 mutation in the B6 mice is more wide spread than the C57BL/6N mice.  Labs worldwide are going to have to reassess their data due to this mutation and all reviewers will ask about this [...]

    Aug 9, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  13. Undersized Dendritic Arborizations in Retinal Ganglion Cells of the rd1 Mutant Mouse: A Paradigm of Early Onset Photoreceptor Degeneration

    This paper by Devid Damiani, Elena Novelli, Francesca Mazzoni and Enrica Strettoi documents continued negative plasticity in retina by examining ganglion cells in the rd1 mouse.  The rd1 mouse is one of many models of retinal degenerative disease, in this case as an autosomal recessive retinal degenerative disease.  This work gets at the remodeling issue [...]

    Aug 8, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  14. Astrocytes and Vasculature

    This laser confocal image shows a GFP transgenic mouse retina under the control of the GFAP promoter stained with anti-Collagen IV (blue), anti-GFAP (red) and anti-GFP (green).  These labels not only show the spatial relationship of individual astrocytes to one another, but also the vasculature.   Image provided by Gabriel Luna out of the Steve Fisher and Geoff [...]

    Jul 17, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  15. Age-Related Changes In The Daily Rhythm of Photoreceptor Functioning And Circuitry In A Melatonin-Proficient Mouse Strain

    This is an interesting study in PLoS One examining the involvement of melatonin in the retina, particularly in the survival of retinal neurons through aging studies in CH3-f+/+ mice, a melatonin proficient mouse strain.  As expected, certain physiological measures (a and b waves) are lost during aging, and in particular, the daily circadian rhythms of those measures. [...]

    Jun 5, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  16. Photovoltaic Retinal Prosthesis With High Pixel Density

    Retinas are complex systems and engineered rescues of vision loss through bionic means have to date been inelegant solutions.  Retinal bionic implants have historically not been successes due to some glaring problems including how to power them and how to get the appropriate current close enough to the cells to induce a response.  However, researchers [...]

    May 15, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  17. Notable Paper: Network Deficiency Exacerbates Impairment in a Mouse Model of Retinal Degeneration

    This paper by Christopher W. Yee, Abduqodir H. Toychiev and Botir T. Sagdullaev examines the role that neural oscillations play in normal and pathological states.  In a neurodegenerative model of retinitis pigmentosa, the authors examined the activity of neural networks in the rd1 mouse model and compared that activity to the wild type.  

    Apr 1, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  18. Dysmorphic Photoreceptors in a P23H Mutant Rhodopsin Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa Are Metabolically Active and Capable of Regenerating to Reverse Retinal Degeneration

    This paper (and the cover article) is the result of a collaborative effort between Damian C. Lee, Felix R. Vazquez-Chona, W. Drew Ferrell, Beatrice M. Tam, Bryan W. Jones, Robert E. Marc, and Orson L. Moritz.

    Feb 29, 2012 — Read more 2 Comments

  19. Metabolomic Eye Wins Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

    The image that is used for the avatar here on Webvision has been awarded first place in the journal Science and the National Science Foundation‘s Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge for 2011 (video with interviews here).

    Feb 5, 2012 — Read more 2 Comments

  20. Functional Activation of Glutamate Ionotropic Receptors in the Human Peripheral Retina

    This paper by Clairton F. de Souza, Michael Kalloniatis, Philip J. Polkinghorne, Charles N.J. McGhee, Monica L. Acosta examines glutamate receptors and their functional activation in the human retina.

    Jan 9, 2012 — Read more No Comments

  21. Nerve Fiber Layer (Nikon Small World Winner)

    This years Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition features some amazing work including this laser confocal image of a mouse nerve fiber layer on a retinal flatmount at 40X magnification by Gabriel Luna out of the Steve Fisher and Geoff Lewis’s retinal cell biology group at UC Santa Barbara Neuroscience Research Institute. To see all of [...]

    Oct 7, 2011 — Read more No Comments

  22. Retina, 2002 from Deborah Aschheim

    We here at Webvision love art, particularly scientific art or scientifically inspired art.  Friend of Webvision, Nancy Parmalee pointed “Retina” out the other day on Twitter and it turns out ”Retina” is/was an art installation in 2002 by Deborah Aschheim at the Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts.  I don’t know if it is still in place.  Any [...]

    Aug 20, 2011 — Read more No Comments

  23. Foveal Avascular Zone

    This is normal fluorescein angiogram of a human retina showing the tunic of capillaries that surround the fovea and rather nicely illustrates the Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) discussed in The Simple Anatomy of The Retina.  Photograph was made by James Gilman of the Moran Eye Center.  

    Aug 6, 2011 — Read more No Comments

  24. 100 Papers You Should Read: Visual Pigments of Single Goldfish Cones

    This is the fourth paper in the category, 100 Papers You Should Read (in vision science). William Rushton once said “The trouble with colour vision is the mentality of those that write on it-and of those that read.  In most aspects of physiology it is sufficient to offer a fairly plausible and adequate hypothesis; but colour visionaries [...]

    Aug 1, 2011 — Read more No Comments

  25. Light-Evoked Synaptic Activity of Retinal Ganglion and Amacrine Cells is Regulated in Developing Mouse Retina

    This paper by Q. He, Wang P and Ning Tian characterizes the developmental profiles of the light evoked excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs from ON and OFF synaptic pathways in the retina, the light evoked synaptic outputs and the sensitivity of the light evoked synaptic inputs and outputs to light deprivation of retinal ganglion cells [...]

    Jun 27, 2011 — Read more 1 Comment