# Function of neural activity in developing retina

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2020 · $458,283

## Abstract

The goal of this proposal is to continue studying the development of functional circuits in the retina. Immature
retinal neurons spontaneously generate correlated activity in the form of waves of action potentials that sweep
across the retinal ganglion cell layer. These retinal waves occur during the developmental period when
functional circuits within the retina are emerging and retinal projections to the brain are undergoing a
tremendous amount of refinement. Recent discoveries indicate that light penetrating through the closed eyelids
may also influence retinal firing patterns during development. In this renewal, we focus on two Aims that
explore the impact of early vision on retinal activity and the potential roles it plays in development and early
light guided behaviors.
In the first Aim, we explore the mechanisms by which spontaneous activity modulates early light responses
mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) during the first postnatal week.
IpRGCs, which express the photopigment melanopsin, are the first photoreceptors that mature in the retina, and
they therefore provide the earliest light-driven signals to the brain. We recently published that blockade of
retinal waves increase the number of light responsive cells via an increase in gap junction coupling between
ipRGCs and other retinal neurons. Here we explore the mechanisms underlying this activity-dependent
modulation of coupling and its function in early light-guided behaviors.
In the second Aim, we investigate how retinal waves interact with these emerging visual circuits of the retina
during the second postnatal week, just prior to eye-opening. Specifically we will test the novel hypothesis that
light stimulation alters the properties of retinal waves and determine whether this light modulation of waves is
critical for refinement of retinofugal projections. Experiments are based on state-of-the art technologies that
include volumetric two-photon imaging of genetically encoded calcium sensors.
This work will address the principles that establish the mechanisms underlying spontaneous activity in
developing circuits and the role these principles play in activity- dependent developmental processes. It will
also elucidate the principles that govern the normal development of the human nervous system, thus making it
possible to understand the origin of neurological birth defects and to devise strategies that enable the nervous
system to regenerate functioning neural circuits after injury.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849279
- **Project number:** 5R01EY013528-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** Marla Feller
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $458,283
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-04-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849279

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849279, Function of neural activity in developing retina (5R01EY013528-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849279. Licensed CC0.

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