Amacrine Cell

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Revision as of 04:21, 27 March 2012 by 192.168.3.254 (Talk) (Location)

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Amacrine cells are interneurons in the retina. Amacrine cells are responsible for 70% of input to retinal ganglion cells. Bipolar cells, which are responsible for the other 30% of input to retinal ganglia, are regulated by amacrine cells.

Introduction

Amacrine cells operate at the inner plexiform layer (IPL), the second synaptic retinal layer where bipolar cells and retinal ganglion cells form synapses. There are about 40 different types of amacrine cells, most lacking axons. Like horizontal cells, amacrine cells work laterally affecting the output from bipolar cells, however, their tasks are often more specialized. Each type of amacrine cell connects with a particular type of bipolar cell, and generally has a particular type of neurotransmitter. One such population, AII, 'piggybacks' rod bipolar cells onto the cone bipolar circuitry. It connects rod bipolar cell output with cone bipolar cell input, and from there the signal can travel to the respective ganglion cells.

They are classified by the width of their field of connection, which layer(s) of the stratum in the IPL they are in, and by neurotransmitter type. Most are inhibitory using either GABA or glycine as neurotransmitters.

Physiology

Visual Response Properties

Cellular Biophysics

Anatomy

Location

File:Amacrine cells.png
Narrow-field amacrine cells

Amacrine cells have their cell bodies located in the inner nuclear layer of the retina and have projections in the inner plexiform layer. Different subtypes of amacrine cells project differently in the inner plexiform layer.

Shape

Connections

Molecules

History

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