Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1997-4-23
pubmed:abstractText
Each eye of Aplysia contains a circadian clock that produces a robust rhythm of optic nerve impulse activity. To isolate the pacemaker neurons and photoreceptors of the eye and determine their participation in the circadian clock and its generation of rhythmic autoactivity, the retina was dissociated and its cells were placed in primary cell culture. The isolated neurons and photoreceptors survived and vigorously extended neurites tipped with growth cones. Many of the photoreceptors previously described from histological sections of the intact retina were identified in culture, including the large R-type photoreceptor, which gave robust photoresponses, and the smaller tufted, whorled, and flared photoreceptors. The pacemaker neurons responsible for the rhythmic impulse activity generated by the eye were identified by their distinctive monopolar morphology and recordings were made of their activity. Isolated pacemaker neurons produced spontaneous action potentials in darkness, and pacemaker neurons attached to fragments of retina or in an isolated cluster interacted to produce robust spontaneous activity. This study establishes that isolated retinal pacemaker neurons retain their innate autoactivity and ability to produce action potentials in culture and that clusters of coupled pacemaker neurons are capable of generating robust autoactivity comparable to pacemaker neuron rhythmic activity recorded in the intact retina, which was previously shown to correspond to 1:1 with the optic nerve compound action potential activity.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
0022-3034
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
31
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
16-28
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1996
pubmed:articleTitle
Rhythmic activities of isolated and clustered pacemaker neurons and photoreceptors of Aplysia retina in culture.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Albany 12222, USA. JWJ74@scpop.albany.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article