Spontaneous depolarization-induced action potentials of ON-starburst amacrine cells during cholinergic and glutamatergic retinal waves

Correlated spontaneous activity in the developing retina (termed “retinal waves”) plays an instructive role in refining neural circuits of the visual system. Depolarizing (ON) and hyperpolarizing (OFF) starburst amacrine cells (SACs) initiate and propagate cholinergic retinal waves. Where cholinergic retinal waves stop, SACs are thought to be driven by glutamatergic retinal waves initiated by ON-bipolar cells. However, the properties and function of cholinergic and glutamatergic waves in ON- and OFF-SACs still remain poorly understood. As expected, we found that both SAC subtypes exhibited spontaneous rhythmic depolarization during cholinergic and glutamatergic waves. Interestingly, ON-SACs had wave-induced action potentials (APs) in an age-dependent manner, but OFF-SACs did not. We further found that the number of APs in ON-SACs was correlated with the amplitude of Ca 2+ transients of either ON- or OFF-SACs during cholinergic retinal waves. These results advance the understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying correlated spontaneous activity in the developing retina.