Retinal Neuron Classification

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Revision as of 19:17, 25 September 2015 by 140.180.248.184 (Talk) (Our Purpose)

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Retinal Neuron Classification

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.

Many researchers are simultaneously attempting the classification of retinal neurons, coming up with new types and categorizations at a rapid rate; it often becomes complicated to distinguish between cell types, or to discern which types correspond with each other. Without the ability to uniformly identify a specific type, it is difficult to cross-correlate between studies, and more tedious than it should be to gain access to the entirety of known facts about a cell type. In order for researchers to conduct future studies, it becomes beneficial to effectively use the information already available to us.

Our Purpose

The goal of this wiki is to consolidate information from existing retinal neuron classifications. Our aims can further be broken down into these points:

  • 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 make readily accessible the relevant literature concerning each cell type
  • To continuously update cell type information as new research is published
  • To provide additional information that corresponds to visuals in the Cell Museum

Contributions

This platform cannot be established without contributors from the research community.

If you are interested in providing input, please create a new cell type page, or edit an existing one. All existing pages can be found in the table below.