# Function, diversity, and circuitry of parallel retinal ganglion cell pathways

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $437,260

## Abstract

The goal of this research is to understanding how the retina contributes to motion processing in the
dorsal visual pathway. The neural circuitry within the retina extracts visual information and sends that
information through the axons of retinal ganglion cells to the visual thalamus and, subsequently, to the
cortex. Much is known about the neural pathways that perform motion computations in the cortex, but
far less is known about how the retina contributes to this pathway. The proposed research will further
our understanding of how the retina contributes to motion processing and the mechanisms that
contribute to this neural computation.
Our first aim will directly determine whether motion detection occurs in the retina and the neural
mechanisms that mediate these computations.
Our second aim will reveal the types of motion computations occurring in the retina and how excitatory
and inhibitory synaptic circuitries shape these computations.
Our third aim will directly test our mechanistic understanding of the circuitry of the inner retina by
evaluating the ability of synaptic models, generated from direct measurement, to accurately predict
responses to natural motion.
If successful, this research will provide several significant contributions. First, it will increase our
understanding about how ethologically relevant information is encoded in parallel neural circuits - a
fundamental goal of systems neuroscience. Second, it will explain how excitatory and inhibitory neural
networks differentially shape information flow and contribute to neural computations. Finally, these
findings will be applicable immediately to ongoing development of retinal prostheses and other
techniques designed to restore visual function in blind humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9878880
- **Project number:** 5R01EY027323-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael B Manookin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $437,260
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9878880

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9878880, Function, diversity, and circuitry of parallel retinal ganglion cell pathways (5R01EY027323-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9878880. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*