# Development and function of glomerular microcircuits in the visual thalamus

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $381,938

## Abstract

The functional architecture of the nervous system is usually thought of in terms of groups of neurons
with similar functions being clustered together. However, groups of synaptic connections with similar
functions also cluster together resulting in a fine-scale (1-10 μm) functional architecture of nervous tissue.
The significance of this fine-scale microcircuitry has been difficult to asses because it can involve dozens of
neurons computing signals that are not readily detectable at the level of neuronal cell bodies. Here we
propose an approach to studying developmental and functional principles of local microcircuits in the mouse
visual thalamus.
 In the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), axons from the retina (RGCs) form glia encapsulated
clusters of synapses (glomeruli) with thalamocortical relay cells and inhibitory neurons. The functional
significance of these local microcircuits is unknown. Based on the diverse patterns of glomerular connectivity
we observed in our previous studies of mouse dLGN, we believe these microcircuits are preforming visual-channel-specific computations ranging from simple relay of signals to complex feature detection. We also
hypothesize that, central to the organization of these microcircuits, is the use of developmental retinal activity
to group functionally related RGCs and inhibitory neurites together in the same glomeruli.
 Our first step in testing the above hypotheses is to create a detailed mapping of the development of
mouse dLGN glomerular microcircuits using serial section electron microscopy that will reveal which cell
types initiate glomerulus formation and which aspects of the microcircuit’s connectivity appear during activity
dependent synaptic remodeling. We will then test whether visual deprivation or transgenic silencing of
subsets of RGC inputs alters the grouping together of neurites or the specificity with which they form
synapses. The results of these developmental studies will reveal the extent to which dLGN microcircuit
structure is the result of visual experience.
 We will then probe the function of dLGN glomeruli by first recording the response properties of
thalamocortical cells and then reconstructing the glomerular microcircuitry of those same neurons with
electron microscopy. By matching receptive field properties to their microcircuit configurations, we will learn
whether different glomerular types are specific to different channels of visual processing and will gain insight
into the computations likely to be executed by different local microcircuits. We will next use optogenetic
stimulation of RGCs to determine how different glomerular configurations integrate signals from converging
inputs.
 The proposed experiments will reveal the origin, organization and function of the fine-scale
microcircuitry of an important model system for vision and circuit development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10407457
- **Project number:** 5R01EY029313-03
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua L Morgan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $381,938
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10407457

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10407457, Development and function of glomerular microcircuits in the visual thalamus (5R01EY029313-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10407457. Licensed CC0.

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