Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 8, 1485-1499, Copyright © 1988 by Society for Neuroscience
Postnatal dendritic maturation of alpha and beta ganglion cells in cat retina
JF Dann, EH Buhl and L Peichl
Max-Planck-Institut fur Hirnforschung, Frankfurt, West Germany.
Of the 3 anatomically defined classes of ganglion cell in adult cat retina,
the alpha and beta cells are the most well documented, thus providing a
basis of comparison for developing ganglion cells. Alpha and beta ganglion
cells in cat retinae at various ages from birth (P0) to adult were
intracellularly injected with Lucifer yellow. At all ages, both cell types
strongly resembled their adult counterparts. However, transient
developmental characteristics established their immaturity. These features
included spiny protuberances and "rings" along the dendritic surface that
were no longer detectable after 3 weeks of age. In a small proportion of
both inner and outer stratifying alpha ganglion cells, there was aberrant
dendritic arborization. However, by P5 there was no remaining evidence of
this deviant stratification pattern and all alpha and beta cells displayed
the adult pattern of unistratification (present among the majority of these
cells from birth). For both alpha and beta cells, the area of greatest
development was the retinal periphery. In this region alpha cell dendritic
trees continued to grow until 3 weeks postnatally, when they approached the
adult dendritic field size; around this time, the major period of beta cell
dendritic expansion began. From birth to adulthood, the distance between
alpha cell dendritic branching points increased, while the number of nodes
and tips decreased with age. The temporal disparity between alpha and beta
cell dendritic expansion suggests that postnatal dendritic development
involves an active process of growth, rather than merely passive
stretching.
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