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A night vision neuron gets a day job

Nature Neuroscience volume 12, pages 1209–1211 (2009)Cite this article

During the day, certain retinal ganglion cells respond specifically to dark, approaching stimuli. A study finds that the retinal circuit that gives rise to this response makes use of an amacrine cell that was previously known for its role in night vision circuitry, demonstrating that some neurons lead double lives.

To reduce the daunting complexity of the nervous system, we often presume that each neuron or circuit is dedicated to one particular function. Given the diversity of neurons and the fact than most have yet to be assigned to a specific task, this simplifying tactic seems reasonable; with so many neurons still out of work, there's no need to give two jobs to one cell type. This socialist attitude toward the neuronal labor force may be changing, however, as mounting evidence indicates that the AII amacrine cell, an important interneuron in the retina's night vision circuitry, may be moonlighting1,2,3,4. In this issue, Munch et al.5 demonstrate that AII cells also work the day shift as a crucial component in a newly described computational circuit for detecting approaching motion.

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Figure 1: Scotopic and photopic retinal circuitry.
Figure 2: Multiple push-pull subunits form an approach detector.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, US National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Nicholas Oesch & Jeffrey Diamond

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  1. Nicholas Oesch
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  2. Jeffrey Diamond
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Correspondence to Jeffrey Diamond.

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Oesch, N., Diamond, J. A night vision neuron gets a day job. Nat Neurosci 12, 1209–1211 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1009-1209

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