Retinal neuron shapes

I think we talked a bit about retinal neurons when we met? Anyway, they are the neurons in the retina in the eye.

There are only a few types of neurons in the retina. Each type has a distinct shape and function. Sensory cells - the rods and cones - fire electrical signals when they are hit by a sufficient quantity of light. The other neurons in the retina - bipolar cells, horizontal cells, amacrine cells, and ganglion cells - are involved in processing the signals from the rods and cones and transmitting them through the optic nerve to the brain.

http://www.ganfyd.org/index.php?title=Retina

http://webvision.med.utah.edu/Wong.html

Stem cells could be used to replaced damaged retinal neurons. There is no cell proliferation in the adult retina, so no natural regeneration occurs there.

This paper is about transplanting photoreceptor precursor cells into the eye.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7116/abs/nature05161.html

(Thanks Mike!)

This paper is about making stem cells produce retinal cells for transplantation into damaged retinas.

http://www.pnas.org/content/103/34/12769.abstract




Their figures are worth a look. Once again, badger me for pdfs :)