• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2001

In this paper, we have proposed a new computer retina model reflecting the mechanism of transient amacrine cell on the basis of a conventional computer retina model to understand mechanism of visual information processing. The conventional computer retina model contained most of mechanism for other retina models and it was verified with the physiological data. However, we found that a conventional computer retina model doesn't have the mechanism of amacrine cell that was likely to respond to moving stimulus. In proposed model, therefore, a conventional computer model that considered from photoreceptors to bipolar cells and a new computer model that considered for transient amacrine cell and ganglion cell was combined. As we compared the physiological data with the results of computer simulation of transient amacrine cell about fixed stimulus and moving stimulus, we confirmed that the proposed new computer retina model was normally operated.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.271-277
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunoreactivity of calretinin in Brazilian opossum (Monodelphis domestica) retina. Calcium-binding protein calretinin is known to play a key role in calcium-mediated signal transduction. Methods: Experiments have been performed by standard immunocytochemical techniques on retina of the Brazilian opossum. Results: Calretinin-immunoreactivity was exhibited within the horizontal subpopulations, AII amacrine and ganglion cell subpopulations in the Brazilian opossum retina. Especially, all calretinin-immunoreactive AII amacrine cells also expressed parvalbumin. Conclusions: Similar to other mammalian retinas, calretinin-immunoreactivity was also observed within the AII amacrine cells in the Brazilian opossum retina. Thus, calretinin can be a marker of AII amacrine cells in the Brazilian opossum retina.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.285-294
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• 2004

We investigated the morphology, distribution and synaptic connectivity of cholinergic neurons in the mouse retina by immunocytochemistry, using antisera against choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). ChAT-immunoreactive amacrine cells fall into two groups according to the localization of their somas in the retina: one is situated in the inner nuclear layer (INL), near the border of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), and the other is displaced in the ganglion cell layer (GCL). The dendrites of amacrine cells from the INL ramify in sublamina a and that of the displaced amacrine cells ramify in sublamina b of the IPL. Double labeling with an antisera against ChAT and r-aminobutyric acid (GABA) demonstrated that these labeled cells formed a subpopulation of GABAergic amacrine cells. The synaptic connectivity of ChAT-immunoreactive amacrine cells was identified in the IPL by electron microscopy. The most frequent synaptic input of ChAT-labeled amacrine cells was from bipolar cells in both sublaminae a and b of the IPL, followed by labeled amacrine cells and unlabeled amacrine cells. Their primary output targets were onto ganglion cells in both sublaminae a and b and output onto ganglion cells was more frequently observed in sublamina b of the IPL. Our results suggest that cholinergic amacrine cells in the mouse retina are very similar to their counter parts in other mammals, and they can attribute a major role in the pathway feeding into directionally selective ganglion cells.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.133-139
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• 2007

Although the physiological roles of calretinin have not been established, it may simply work as a calcium buffer or may actively work in calcium-mediated signal transduction. Calretinin plays a little role in the transport and physiological buffering of calcium in the adult photoreceptor cells, bipolar cells and horizontal cells of the human retina. We identified the calretinin-immunoreactive neurons in the inner nuclear cell layer and ganglion cell layer and the distribution pattern of the labeled neurons in the retina of a bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, in this study. We observed the existence of calretinin-immunoreactive AII amacrine cell in the inner nuclear layer and ganglion cells in the ganglion cell layer of bat retina through this study. This observation must be significant along with our previous studies as we need to study for more understanding about the unsolved issue of a bat vision and the unique behavioral aspects of bat flight maneuverability.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.15-20
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• 2000

The morphology of dopaminergic neurons in the adult ox retina was studied. The dopaminergic neurons were identified using antibody immunocytochemistry. The great majority of tyrosine hydroxylase - immunoreactive neurons were located at the innermost border of the inner nuclear layer. The processes were monostratified and ran laterally within layer 1 of the inner plexiform layer. The second major population of tyrosine hydroxylase - immunoreactive neurons was displaced amacrine cells. The processes of displaced tyrosine hydroxylase - immunoreactive amacrine cells were also located within layer 1 of the inner plexiform layer. Some processes of a few neurons were located in the outer plexiform layer. A very low density of neurons had additional bands of tyrosine hydroxylase - immunoreactive processes in the middle and deep layers of the inner plexiform layer. The processes of dopaminergic neurons widely extended radially and formed large, moderately branched dendritic fields. These processes occasionally had varicosities but did not have "dendritic rings". These results indicate that dopaminergic cells make up specific neuronal cell types in the ox retina.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.49-58
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• 2002

Based on electrophysiological retina mechanism, a retina model is proposed, which has similar response characteristics compared with the real primate retina. Photoreceptors, horizontal cells, and bipolar cells are modeled based on the previously studied retina models. And amacrine cells known to have relation to movements detection, and bipolar cell terminals are newly modeled using 3 NDP mechanism. The proposed model verified by analyzing the spatial response characteristics to stationary and moving stimuli, and characteristics for different speeds. Through this retina model, human vision system could be applied to computer vision systems for movement detection, and it could be the basic research for the implantable artificial retina.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 2002

In this study, we carried out immunostaining and immunogold labeling with rabbit anti-dopamine (TH) and rabbit anti-calbindin-$D_{28K}$ to examine the characteristics and functions of the neurons that secrete neurotransmitters in optic lobes of Todarodes pacificus and Octopus minor inhabiting the Korean waters. The obtained results are as follow. In the immunostaining with anti-dopamine, only a few of the large amacrine cells in an the upper part of an outer granule cell layer and the cells forming the islands of medulla showed positive reaction in Todarodes pacificus, while $2{\sim}3$ cells in the upper and middle parts of an outer granule cell layer and more than 5 cells in the islands of medulla reacted positively in Octopus minor. For the case of anti-calbindin case, $2{\sim}3$ small amacrine cells in the upper portion of the outer granule cell layer and $1{\sim}2$ cells which are located in the lower part of an inner granule cell layer showed positive reaction in Todarodes pacificus, while, in Octopus minor, 4 cells in the outer granule cell layer reacted positively, no immunoreactive cell being found in the inner granule cell layer. As a result of performing the immunogold labeling, relative large number ($17{\sim}26$) of gold particles were labeled per $0.5{\mu}m^2$ of the cytoplasm of the cells which showed the immunoreactivity to the anti-dopamine and anti-calbindin in Todarodes pacificus, however, small number (10) of gold particles were labeled in Octopus minor, which reach only half of the number in the Todarodes pacificus.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.461-469
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• 1999

Glutamate and ${\gamma}-aminobutyric$ acid (GABA) are major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the vertebrate retina, respectively. Using the whole-cell patch clamp technique and a rapid solution changer, glutamate and GABA receptors have been extensively investigated in carp retina. Glutamate receptors on both horizontal and amacrine cells may be an AMPA preferring subtype, which predominantly consists of flop splice variants. $GABA_A$ and $GABA_C$ receptors coexist in bipolar cells and they both show significant desensitization. Kinetics analysis demonstrated that activation, deactivation and desensitization of the $GABA_C$ receptor-mediated response of these cells are overall slower than those of the $GABA_A$ response. Endogenous modulator $Zn^{2+}$ in the retina was found to differentially modulate the kinetic characteristics of the $GABA_C$ and $GABA_A$ responses.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 1998

The dynamic properties of the 3rd-order neuron of the retina was investigated by using conventional intracellular recording techniques. Experiments were performed in the superfused retina-eyecup preparation of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. The cornea, iris, lens, and vitreous were removed by absorption with Kimwipe tissue under the dissection microscope thereby exposing the retina in a hemi -eyecup. The electrical signal was amplified by electrometer, viewed on oscilloscope. Regular signals from the cells were recorded on a penwriter and stored by data recorder and computer. Full-field, spot or annular light stimuli were generated on a computer monitor and focused onto the retina. Baclofen hyperpolarized the dark membrane potential, suppressed sustained component and enhanced transient component of the ON-sustained cell with a large transient component, but did not affect the surround antagonism of the cell. Baclofen selectively suppressed responses evoked by moving bar light stimuli on the ON-OFF transient cell. The results suggest that transient cells have directional selectivity in the inner retina. These dynamic properties of amacrine and ganglion cells were modulated by baclofen. Therefore, it is presumed that there is baclofen-induced directional selectivity in ON-OFF transient cells in the catfish retina.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.373-379
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• 2008

Recently, we reported the existence of AII "rod" amacrine cells in the retina of the greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Jeon et al., 2007). In order to enhance our understanding of bat vision, in the present study, we report on a quantitative analysis of cone and rod photoreceptors. The average cone density was $9,535cells/mm^2$, giving a total number of cones of 33,538 cells/retina. The average rod density was $368,891cells/mm^2$, giving a total number of rods of 1,303,517 cells. On average, the total populations of rods were 97.49%, and cones were 2.51% of all the photoreceptors. Rod: cone ratios ranged from 33.85:1 centrally to 42.26:1 peripherally, with a mean ratio of 38.96:1. The average regularity index of the cone mosaic in bat retina was 3.04. The present results confirm the greater horseshoe bat retina to be strongly rod-dominated. The rod-dominated retina, with the existence of AII cells discovered in our previous study, strongly suggests that the greater horseshoe bat retina has a functional scotopic property of vision. However, the existence of cone cells also suggests that the bat retina has a functional photopic property of vision.