Functional architecture of the foveola revealed in the living primate

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207102
• Publication Date: 2018-11-28T18:37:34Z
• Authors: Juliette E. McGregor; Lu Yin; Qiang Yang; Tyler Godat; Khang T. Huynh; Jie Zhang; David R. Williams; William H. Merigan
• Keywords: Male; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Fovea Centralis; 0303 health sciences; Microscopy, Confocal; Science; Q; Genetic Vectors; R; Gene Transfer Techniques; Dependovirus; Ophthalmoscopy; Macaca fascicularis; 03 medical and health sciences; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Medicine; Animals; Calcium; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Vision, Ocular; Research Article

The primate foveola, with its high cone density and magnified cortical representation, is exquisitely specialized for high-resolution spatial vision. However, uncovering the wiring of retinal circuitry responsible this performance has been challenging due to difficulty in recording receptive fields foveal ganglion cells (RGCs) vivo. In study, we use adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) image calcium responses RGCs living primate, a stable, precision visual stimulus that allowed us localize hundreds cells. This approach revealed precisely radial organization RGCs, despite many distortions possible during extended developmental migration By back projecting line connecting RGC somas their fields, have able define 'physiological center' locating vertical meridian separating left right hemifields