NEURONS IN THE RETINA: ORGANIZATION, INHIBITION AND EXCITATION PROBLEMS

TLDR

Excitatory and inhibitory processes are well established in the CNS, yet most detailed studies focus on the spinal cord; the eye’s accessibility and complex yet controllable neural network make it an ideal model for investigating such activity. The paper aims to examine neuronal activity in the retina as a model for general CNS function, rather than focusing on visual processing. The authors compare retinal neuronal activity to spinal cord patterns, highlighting specific similarities.

Abstract

Although the occurrence of excitatory and inhibitory processes in the central nervous system is well known, detailed studies of these events have in the past been largely confined to the spinal cord. The eye, a relatively exposed outpost of the brain, lends itself well to the analysis of many processes which we know to occur in different regions of the central nervous system. “Spontaneous” and rhythmic activity, a discharge pattern ever fluctuating, depending on a variety of circumstances, interaction of different areas, are examples. In this discussion emphasis will be laid on neuronal activity, probably representative of many parts of the central nervous system, rather than on problems of vision. In spite of the eye's complexity, activity in its neural network can be influenced and controlled more easily than in comparably complex portions of the central nervous system. Specific similarities with some aspects of spinal cord activity will be discussed...