Difference between revisions of "Retinal Neuron Classification"

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Understanding how the brain processes sensory stimuli requires knowledge of the basic building blocks with which these sensory pathways are made from. Uncovering the parts that make up the circuitry of the brain is crucial for 
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Understanding how the brain processes sensory stimuli requires knowledge of the basic building blocks that make up the circuitry of the brain. A prime system to conduct this effort in is the visual system. The neurons within the retina provide the only gateway to the rest of the visual system--arguably making it one of the most accessible sensory systems to study in all species. Researchers have put in an incredible amount of effort in the classification of retinal neurons, both in recent years and back in the time of Ramon y Cajal. The progress that has been made since then is astounding--especially in the mouse retina, in which molecular and genetic methods have allowed for more than half of the retinal neuron types to be definitively classified (Sanes and Masland, 2015). However, abundance of information comes with an increasing necessity for communication among those participating in this endeavor. To effectively conduct future studies, it becomes critical to discern which categorized cell types correspond with each other, and to utilize the entirety of information already available to us about different cell types. A complete catalog of murine retinal neurons will allow for a greater understanding of visual processing  
To understand how the brain processes sensory stimuli, we must first understand the basic building blocks of the pathway. A prime system to The neurons within the retina provide the only gateway to the rest of the visual system--arguably making it one of the most accessible sensory systems to study in all species.
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The classification of neuronal cell types has been an endeavor pursued by many in the scientific community, particularly in the retina. The neurons within the retina provide the only gateway to the rest of the visual system--arguably making it one of the most accessible sensory systems to study in all species. To understand how the brain processes visual stimuli, we must first understand the basic building blocks of the visual pathway, beginning with the multitudinous components of visual processing in each retinal layer.
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Researchers have put in an incredible amount of effort in the classification of retinal neurons, both in recent years and back in the time of Ramon y Cajal. The progress that has been made since then is astounding--especially in the mouse retina, in which molecular and genetic methods have allowed for more than half of the retinal neuron types to be definitively classified (Sanes and Masland, 2015). However, abundance of information comes with an increasing necessity for communication among those participating in this endeavor. To effectively conduct future studies, it becomes critical to discern which categorized cell types correspond with each other, and to utilize the entirety of information already available to us about different cell types. A complete catalog of murine retinal neurons will allow for a greater understanding of visual processing  
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==Our Purpose==
 
==Our Purpose==

Revision as of 16:15, 28 September 2015

Retinal Neuron Classification


Understanding how the brain processes sensory stimuli requires knowledge of the basic building blocks that make up the circuitry of the brain. A prime system to conduct this effort in is the visual system. The neurons within the retina provide the only gateway to the rest of the visual system--arguably making it one of the most accessible sensory systems to study in all species. Researchers have put in an incredible amount of effort in the classification of retinal neurons, both in recent years and back in the time of Ramon y Cajal. The progress that has been made since then is astounding--especially in the mouse retina, in which molecular and genetic methods have allowed for more than half of the retinal neuron types to be definitively classified (Sanes and Masland, 2015). However, abundance of information comes with an increasing necessity for communication among those participating in this endeavor. To effectively conduct future studies, it becomes critical to discern which categorized cell types correspond with each other, and to utilize the entirety of information already available to us about different cell types. A complete catalog of murine retinal neurons will allow for a greater understanding of visual processing

Our Purpose

The goal of this wiki is to consolidate information from existing retinal neuron classifications and accomplish the following:

  • To establish a complete and accurate list of retinal neuron types, including synonyms
  • To provide information about each cell type, with links to the relevant literature
  • To cross-reference with information about cell types generated by EyeWire and showcased in Cell Museum

Our Approach

Because there is so much information about so many cell types being generated, a single person cannot document it all. We believe that the wiki must be developed collectively by multiple contributors from the research community. This approach will also keep the information current as new research is published

If you are interested in contributing, please create an account with us