Retinal ganglion cell topography and spatial resolution estimation in the Japanese tree frog Hyla japonica (G ünther, 1859).

Retinal ganglion cell topography and spatial resolution estimation in the Japanese tree frog Hyla japonica (Günther, 1859). J Anat. 2019 Aug 16;: Authors: Pushchin I Abstract Tree frogs are an interesting and diverse group of frogs. They display a number of unique adaptations to life in the arboreal environment. Vision plays a crucial role in their ecology. The topography of retinal ganglion cells (GCs) is closely related to a species' visual behavior. Despite a large amount of research addressing GC topography in vertebrates, there is scarce data on this subject in tree frogs. I studied the topography of GCs in the retina of the Japanese tree frog Hyla japonica. The GC density distribution was locally fairly homogeneous, with spatial density increasing gradually from the dorsal and ventral periphery towards the equator. A moderately pronounced visual streak was found close to the equator in the dorsal hemiretina, with a distinct area retinae temporalis in the dorsotemporal quadrant potentially subserving binocular vision. The minimum GC density (mean ± SEM, n = 5) was 3060 ± 60 and the maximum 12 800 ± 170 cells/mm2 . The total number of GCs was 292 ± 7 × 103 . The theoretical anatomical spatial resolution estimated from GC densities and eye optics was lowest in the ventral periphery (ca. 0.9 and 1.3 cycles/degree in air and water, respectively) and highest in the area retinae temporalis (ca. 2.1 and 2.8 cycles/deg...
Source: Journal of Anatomy - Category: Anatomy Authors: Tags: J Anat Source Type: research