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Transneuronal retrograde degeneration of retinal ganglion cells after damage to striate cortex in macaque monkeys: selective loss of Pβ cells

Transneuronal retrograde degeneration of retinal ganglion cells after damage to striate cortex in macaque monkeys: selective loss of Pβ cells
Transneuronal retrograde degeneration of retinal ganglion cells after damage to striate cortex in macaque monkeys: selective loss of Pβ cells

We examined the retinae of two monkeys whose left striate cortex had been removed eight years previously and compared the transneuronally degenerated hemiretina of each eye with the normal hemiretina and with the retinae of normal monkeys. All retinae were prepared as whole mounts. One from each pair was stained with Cresyl Violet; the other was reacted for horseradish peroxidase two days after placing pellets of the enzyme in the optic nerve. Measurements of ganglion cell density in the Nissl-stained retina of the contralateral right eye showed that approximately 80% of retinal ganglion cells were missing in the central 30° of the degenerated hemiretinae. More peripherally the percentage loss was less extensive. Measurements of cell soma size and dendritic field size of peroxidase-labelled classified surviving cells in the degenerated temporal hemiretina of the ipsilateral eye showed them to be morphologically normal. In comparison with the normal hemiretina, however, the mean soma size at three selected eccentricities was larger than normal, suggesting selective loss of smaller ganglion cells. Classification of peroxidase-labelled ganglion cells in the normal and degenerated hemiretinae revealed that the population of Pβ cells was reduced by as much as 85% in the degenerated region. There was no comparable change in the density of Pα or Pγ cells. The degeneration of the great majority of Pβ cells, which are believed to be the morphological substrate of ganglion cells with small and colour-opponent receptive fields, must set limits on the visual sensitivity and discrimination that survive damage to striate cortex.

0306-4522
65-80
Cowey, A.
ee180d2c-9ac9-4288-b807-9f73eff7d6f3
Stoerig, P.
818da4c8-9a85-4231-ba69-f1faf85c05e4
Perry, V.H.
8f29d36a-8e1f-4082-8700-09483bbaeae4
Cowey, A.
ee180d2c-9ac9-4288-b807-9f73eff7d6f3
Stoerig, P.
818da4c8-9a85-4231-ba69-f1faf85c05e4
Perry, V.H.
8f29d36a-8e1f-4082-8700-09483bbaeae4

Cowey, A., Stoerig, P. and Perry, V.H. (1989) Transneuronal retrograde degeneration of retinal ganglion cells after damage to striate cortex in macaque monkeys: selective loss of Pβ cells. Neuroscience, 29 (1), 65-80. (doi:10.1016/0306-4522(89)90333-3).

Record type: Article

Abstract

We examined the retinae of two monkeys whose left striate cortex had been removed eight years previously and compared the transneuronally degenerated hemiretina of each eye with the normal hemiretina and with the retinae of normal monkeys. All retinae were prepared as whole mounts. One from each pair was stained with Cresyl Violet; the other was reacted for horseradish peroxidase two days after placing pellets of the enzyme in the optic nerve. Measurements of ganglion cell density in the Nissl-stained retina of the contralateral right eye showed that approximately 80% of retinal ganglion cells were missing in the central 30° of the degenerated hemiretinae. More peripherally the percentage loss was less extensive. Measurements of cell soma size and dendritic field size of peroxidase-labelled classified surviving cells in the degenerated temporal hemiretina of the ipsilateral eye showed them to be morphologically normal. In comparison with the normal hemiretina, however, the mean soma size at three selected eccentricities was larger than normal, suggesting selective loss of smaller ganglion cells. Classification of peroxidase-labelled ganglion cells in the normal and degenerated hemiretinae revealed that the population of Pβ cells was reduced by as much as 85% in the degenerated region. There was no comparable change in the density of Pα or Pγ cells. The degeneration of the great majority of Pβ cells, which are believed to be the morphological substrate of ganglion cells with small and colour-opponent receptive fields, must set limits on the visual sensitivity and discrimination that survive damage to striate cortex.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 19 September 1988
Published date: 1989

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 489554
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/489554
ISSN: 0306-4522
PURE UUID: 481a68e6-7837-494b-9957-77cf3c31b3d6

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Date deposited: 26 Apr 2024 17:03
Last modified: 05 Jun 2024 20:01

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Contributors

Author: A. Cowey
Author: P. Stoerig
Author: V.H. Perry

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