Summary
This review examines the developmental mechanisms by which retinal ganglion cell axons navigate to form binocular visual pathways, including decisions at the optic chiasm to project ipsilaterally or contralaterally. While primarily basic science, understanding RGC wiring is foundational for interpreting how light information — including from melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs — reaches brain targets relevant to circadian and visual function.
Key Findings
- In humans, virtually all RGC axons originating in temporal retina project ipsilaterally, enabling binocular overlap
- In mice, ipsilaterally projecting RGCs are confined to the peripheral ventrotemporal retina, reflecting a smaller binocular visual field compared to humans
- Specification of ipsilateral versus contralateral RGC identity and differential axon guidance at the optic chiasm are regulated by distinct molecular mechanisms reviewed in this paper
Categories
The Science of Light: Covers retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon pathfinding and binocular visual pathway development, relevant to understanding photoreceptor and RGC biology underlying visual and non-visual light processing.
Author(s)
V Murcia-Belmonte, L Erskine
Publication Year
2019
Number of Citations
32
Related Publications
The Science of Light
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