neuromorphogenesis:
Retinal Fireworks
Retinal ganglion cells transmit signals from the rod and cones in the eye to the brain. The retinal ganglion cells shown here have the extraordinary property that their dendrites all point in a single direction. Remarkably, these neurons respond best to objects moving in the direction that the cells “point.”
Here a mouse retina is seen en face with these “J” retinal ganglion cells marked by the expression of one fluorescent protein. The millions of other entangled neurons are not marked and thus are invisible in this image. Image obtained with a confocal scanning microscope and pseudocolored.
