Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice

In albino mice and EphB1 knockout mice, mistargeted retinal ganglion cell axons form dense islands of axon terminals in the dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei (dLGN). The formation of these islands of retinal input depends on developmental patterns of spontaneous retinal activity. We reconstructed the...

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Main Authors: Sean McCracken, Liam McCoy, Ziyi Hu, Julie A Hodges, Katia Valkova, Philip R Williams, Josh L Morgan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2025-03-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/100990
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author Sean McCracken
Liam McCoy
Ziyi Hu
Julie A Hodges
Katia Valkova
Philip R Williams
Josh L Morgan
author_facet Sean McCracken
Liam McCoy
Ziyi Hu
Julie A Hodges
Katia Valkova
Philip R Williams
Josh L Morgan
author_sort Sean McCracken
collection DOAJ
description In albino mice and EphB1 knockout mice, mistargeted retinal ganglion cell axons form dense islands of axon terminals in the dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei (dLGN). The formation of these islands of retinal input depends on developmental patterns of spontaneous retinal activity. We reconstructed the microcircuitry of the activity-dependent islands and found that the boundaries of the island represent a remarkably strong segregation within retinogeniculate connectivity. We conclude that when sets of retinal input are established in the wrong part of the dLGN, the developing circuitry responds by forming a synaptically isolated subcircuit within the otherwise fully connected network. The fact that there is a developmental starting condition that can induce a synaptically segregated microcircuit has important implications for our understanding of the organization of visual circuits and our understanding of the implementation of activity-dependent development.
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spelling doaj-art-1c8ae71e340f4d069fb2e70780a95bb02025-08-20T02:56:37ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-03-011310.7554/eLife.100990Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino miceSean McCracken0Liam McCoy1Ziyi Hu2Julie A Hodges3Katia Valkova4Philip R Williams5Josh L Morgan6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2657-2416John F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesJohn F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesBiomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesJohn F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesJohn F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesJohn F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesJohn F Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States; Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United StatesIn albino mice and EphB1 knockout mice, mistargeted retinal ganglion cell axons form dense islands of axon terminals in the dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei (dLGN). The formation of these islands of retinal input depends on developmental patterns of spontaneous retinal activity. We reconstructed the microcircuitry of the activity-dependent islands and found that the boundaries of the island represent a remarkably strong segregation within retinogeniculate connectivity. We conclude that when sets of retinal input are established in the wrong part of the dLGN, the developing circuitry responds by forming a synaptically isolated subcircuit within the otherwise fully connected network. The fact that there is a developmental starting condition that can induce a synaptically segregated microcircuit has important implications for our understanding of the organization of visual circuits and our understanding of the implementation of activity-dependent development.https://elifesciences.org/articles/100990albinolateral geniculate nucleusHebbianmouseretinal ganglion cellvisual development
spellingShingle Sean McCracken
Liam McCoy
Ziyi Hu
Julie A Hodges
Katia Valkova
Philip R Williams
Josh L Morgan
Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
eLife
albino
lateral geniculate nucleus
Hebbian
mouse
retinal ganglion cell
visual development
title Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
title_full Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
title_fullStr Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
title_full_unstemmed Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
title_short Mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
title_sort mistargeted retinal axons induce a synaptically independent subcircuit in the visual thalamus of albino mice
topic albino
lateral geniculate nucleus
Hebbian
mouse
retinal ganglion cell
visual development
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/100990
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