Extracellular potentials modify the transfer of information at photoreceptor output synapses in the blowfly compound eye

Horizontal-cell like Dm9 neurons in Drosophila modulate photoreceptor output to supply multiple functions in early visual processing

Dm9 neurons in Drosophila have been proposed as functional homologs of horizontal cells in the outer retina of vertebrates. Here we combine genetic dissection of neuronal circuit function, two-photon calcium imaging in Dm9 and inner photoreceptors, and immunohistochemical analysis to reveal novel insights into the functional role of Dm9 in early visual processing. Our experiments show that Dm9 receive input from all four types of inner photoreceptor R7p, R7y, R8p, and R8y. Histamine released from all types R7/R8 directly inhibits Dm9 via the histamine receptor Ort, and outweighs simultaneous histamine-independent excitation of Dm9 by UV-sensitive R7. Dm9 in turn provides inhibitory feedback to all R7/R8, which is sufficient for color-opponent processing in R7 but not R8. Color opponent processing in R8 requires additional synaptic inhibition by R7 of the same ommatidium via axo-axonal synapses and the second Drosophila histamine receptor HisCl1. Notably, optogenetic inhibition of Dm9 prohibits color opponent processing in all types of R7/R8 and decreases intracellular calcium in photoreceptor terminals. The latter likely results from reduced release of excitatory glutamate from Dm9 and shifts overall photoreceptor sensitivity toward higher light intensities. In summary, our results underscore a key role of Dm9 in color opponent processing in Drosophila and suggest a second role of Dm9 in regulating light adaptation in inner photoreceptors. These novel findings on Dm9 are indeed reminiscent of the versatile functions of horizontal cells in the vertebrate retina.

Acute Application of Imidacloprid Alters the Sensitivity of Direction Selective Motion Detecting Neurons in an Insect Pollinator

Cholinergic pesticides, such as the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, are the most important insecticides used for plant protection worldwide. In recent decades, concerns have been raised about side effects on non-target insect species, including altered foraging behavior and navigation. Although pollinators rely on visual cues to forage and navigate their environment, the effects of neonicotinoids on visual processing have been largely overlooked. To test the effect of acute treatment with imidacloprid at known concentrations in the brain, we developed a modified electrophysiological setup that allows recordings of visually evoked responses while perfusing the brain in vivo. We obtained long-lasting recordings from direction selective wide-field, motion sensitive neurons of the hoverfly pollinator, Eristalis tenax. Neurons were treated with imidacloprid (3.9 μM, 0.39 μM or a sham control treatment using the solvent (dimethylsulfoxide) only. Exposure to a high, yet sub-lethal concentration of imidacloprid significantly alters their physiological response to motion stimuli. We observed a general effect of imidacloprid (3.9 μM) increasing spontaneous activity, reducing contrast sensitivity and giving weaker directional tuning to wide-field moving stimuli, with likely implications for errors in flight control, hovering and routing. Our electrophysiological approach reveals the robustness of the fly visual pathway against cholinergic perturbance (i.e., at 0.39 μM) but also potential threatening effects of cholinergic pesticides (i.e., evident at 3.9 μM) for the visual motion detecting system of an important pollinator.

Serotonergic modulation of visual neurons in Drosophila melanogaster

Sensory systems rely on neuromodulators, such as serotonin, to provide flexibility for information processing as stimuli vary, such as light intensity throughout the day. Serotonergic neurons broadly innervate the optic ganglia of Drosophila melanogaster, a widely used model for studying vision. It remains unclear whether serotonin modulates the physiology of interneurons in the optic ganglia. To address this question, we first mapped the expression patterns of serotonin receptors in the visual system, focusing on a subset of cells with processes in the first optic ganglion, the lamina. Serotonin receptor expression was found in several types of columnar cells in the lamina including 5-HT2B in lamina monopolar cell L2, required for spatiotemporal luminance contrast, and both 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B in T1 cells, whose function is unknown. Subcellular mapping with GFP-tagged 5-HT2B and 5-HT1A constructs indicated that these receptors localize to layer M2 of the medulla, proximal to serotonergic boutons, suggesting that the medulla neuropil is the primary site of serotonergic regulation for these neurons. Exogenous serotonin increased basal intracellular calcium in L2 terminals in layer M2 and modestly decreased the duration of visually induced calcium transients in L2 neurons following repeated dark flashes, but otherwise did not alter the calcium transients. Flies without functional 5-HT2B failed to show an increase in basal calcium in response to serotonin. 5-HT2B mutants also failed to show a change in amplitude in their response to repeated light flashes but other calcium transient parameters were relatively unaffected. While we did not detect serotonin receptor expression in L1 neurons, they, like L2, underwent serotonin-induced changes in basal calcium, presumably via interactions with other cells. These data demonstrate that serotonin modulates the physiology of interneurons involved in early visual processing in Drosophila.

Serotonergic neurons innervate the Drosophila melanogaster eye, but it was not known whether serotonin signaling could induce acute physiological responses in visual interneurons. We found serotonin receptors expressed in all neuropils of the optic lobe and identified specific neurons involved in visual information processing that express serotonin receptors. Activation of these receptors increased intracellular calcium in first order interneurons L1 and L2 and may enhance visually induced calcium transients in L2 neurons. These data support a role for the serotonergic neuromodulation of interneurons in the Drosophila visual system.

Distinct expression of potassium channels regulates visual response properties of lamina neurons in Drosophila melanogaster

The computational organization of sensory systems depends on the diversification of individual cell types with distinct signal-processing capabilities. The Drosophila visual system, for instance, splits information into channels with different temporal properties directly downstream of photoreceptors in the first-order interneurons of the OFF pathway, L2 and L3. However, the biophysical mechanisms that determine this specialization are largely unknown. Here, we show that the voltage-gated K_a channels Shaker and Shal contribute to the response properties of the major OFF pathway input L2. L3 calcium response kinetics postsynaptic to photoreceptors resemble the sustained calcium signals of photoreceptors, whereas L2 neurons decay transiently. Based on a cell-type-specific RNA-seq data set and endogenous protein tagging, we identified Shaker and Shal as the primary candidates to shape L2 responses. Using in vivo two-photon imaging of L2 calcium signals in combination with pharmacological and genetic perturbations of these K_a channels, we show that the wild-type Shaker and Shal function is to enhance L2 responses and cell-autonomously sharpen L2 kinetics. Our results reveal a role for K_a channels in determining the signal-processing characteristics of a specific cell type in the visual system.

Colour Vision: A Fresh View of Lateral Inhibition in Drosophila

A recent study reports a novel form of lateral inhibition between photoreceptors supporting colour vision in the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

The glial sodium-potassium-2-chloride cotransporter is required for synaptic transmission in the Drosophila visual system

The Drosophila Ncc69 gene encodes a Na⁺-K⁺-2Cl⁻-cotransporter (NKCC) that is critical for regulating intra- and extracellular ionic conditions in different tissues. Here, we show that the Ncc69 transporter is necessary for fly vision and that its expression is required non-autonomously in glia to maintain visual synaptic transmission. Flies mutant for Ncc69 exhibit normal photoreceptor depolarization in response to a light pulse but lack the ON and OFF-transients characteristic of postsynaptic responses of lamina neurons, indicating a failure in synaptic transmission. We also find that synaptic transmission requires the Ncc69 regulatory kinases WNK and Fray in glia. The ERG phenotype is associated with a defect in the recycling of the histamine neurotransmitter. Ncc69 mutants exhibit higher levels of the transport metabolite carcinine in lamina cartridges, with its accumulation most intense in the extracellular space. Our work reveals a novel role of glial NKCC transporters in synaptic transmission, possibly through regulating extracellular ionic conditions.

Electrical interactions between photoreceptors in the compound eye of Periplaneta americana

The compound eye of Periplaneta americana contains two spectral classes of photoreceptors: narrow-band UV-sensitive and broad-band green-sensitive. In intracellular recordings, stimulation of green-sensitive photoreceptors with flashes of relatively bright UV/violet light produced anomalous delayed depolarization after the end of the normal light response, whereas stimulation of UV-sensitive photoreceptors with green light elicited biphasic responses characterized by initial transient hyperpolarization followed by prolonged delayed depolarization. To explore the basis for these findings, we used RNA interference to selectively suppress expression of the genes encoding green opsin (GO1), UV opsin (UVO) or both. The hyperpolarizing component in UV-sensitive photoreceptors was eliminated and the delayed depolarization was reduced after GO1 knockdown, suggesting that the hyperpolarization represents fast inhibitory interactions between green- and UV-sensitive photoreceptors. Green-sensitive photoreceptor responses of GO1 knockdowns to flashes of UV/violet were almost exclusively biphasic, whereas residual responses to green had normal kinetics. Knockdown of UVO reduced the responses of UV-sensitive photoreceptors but had minor effects on delayed depolarization in green-sensitive photoreceptors. Angular sensitivity analysis indicated that delayed depolarization of green-sensitive photoreceptors by violet light originates from excitation of (an)other photoreceptor(s) in the same ommatidium. The angle at which the maximal delayed depolarization was observed in green-sensitive photoreceptors stimulated with violet light did not match the angle of the maximal transient depolarization. In contrast, no significant mismatch was observed for delayed depolarization elicited by green light. These results suggest that the cellular sources of the normal transient and additional delayed depolarization by violet light are separate and distinct.

Non-linear amplification of graded voltage signals in the first-order visual interneurons of the butterfly Papilio xuthus

Lamina monopolar cells (LMCs) are the first-order visual interneurons of insects and crustacea, primarily involved in achromatic vision. Here, we investigated morphological and electrophysiological properties of LMCs in the butterfly Papilio xuthus Using intracellular recording coupled with dye injection, we found two types of LMCs. Cells with roundish terminals near the distal surface of the medulla demonstrating no or small depolarizing spikes were classified as L1/2. Cells with elongated terminals deep in the medulla that showed prominent spiking were classified as L3/4. The majority of LMCs of both types had broad spectral sensitivities, peaking between 480 and 570 nm. Depending on the experimental conditions, spikes varied from small to action potential-like events, with their amplitudes and rates decreasing as stimulus brightness increased. When the eye was stimulated with naturalistic contrast-modulated time series, spikes were reliably triggered by high-contrast components of the stimulus. Spike-triggered average functions showed that spikes emphasize rapid membrane depolarizations. Our results suggest that spikes are mediated by voltage-activated Na⁺ channels, which are mainly inactivated at rest. Strong local minima in the coherence functions of spiking LMCs indicate that the depolarizing conductance contributes to the amplification of graded responses even when detectable spikes are not evoked. We propose that the information transfer strategies of spiking LMCs change with light intensity. In dim light, both graded voltage signals and large spikes are used together without mutual interference, as a result of separate transmission bandwidths. In bright light, signals are non-linearly amplified by the depolarizing conductance in the absence of detectable spikes.

Invaginating Presynaptic Terminals in Neuromuscular Junctions, Photoreceptor Terminals, and Other Synapses of Animals

Typically, presynaptic terminals form a synapse directly on the surface of postsynaptic processes such as dendrite shafts and spines. However, some presynaptic terminals invaginate-entirely or partially-into postsynaptic processes. We survey these invaginating presynaptic terminals in all animals and describe several examples from the central nervous system, including giant fiber systems in invertebrates, and cup-shaped spines, electroreceptor synapses, and some specialized auditory and vestibular nerve terminals in vertebrates. We then examine mechanoreceptors and photoreceptors, concentrating on the complex of pre- and postsynaptic processes found in basal invaginations of the cell. We discuss in detail the role of vertebrate invaginating horizontal cell processes in both chemical and electrical feedback mechanisms. We also discuss the common presence of indenting or invaginating terminals in neuromuscular junctions on muscles of most kinds of animals, and especially discuss those of Drosophila and vertebrates. Finally, we consider broad questions about the advantages of possessing invaginating presynaptic terminals and describe some effects of aging and disease, especially on neuromuscular junctions. We suggest that the invagination is a mechanism that can enhance both chemical and electrical interactions at the synapse.

Visual acuity of the honey bee retina and the limits for feature detection

Visual abilities of the honey bee have been studied for more than 100 years, recently revealing unexpectedly sophisticated cognitive skills rivalling those of vertebrates. However, the physiological limits of the honey bee eye have been largely unaddressed and only studied in an unnatural, dark state. Using a bright display and intracellular recordings, we here systematically investigated the angular sensitivity across the light adapted eye of honey bee foragers. Angular sensitivity is a measure of photoreceptor receptive field size and thus small values indicate higher visual acuity. Our recordings reveal a fronto-ventral acute zone in which angular sensitivity falls below 1.9°, some 30% smaller than previously reported. By measuring receptor noise and responses to moving dark objects, we also obtained direct measures of the smallest features detectable by the retina. In the frontal eye, single photoreceptors respond to objects as small as 0.6° × 0.6°, with >99% reliability. This indicates that honey bee foragers possess significantly better resolution than previously reported or estimated behaviourally, and commonly assumed in modelling of bee acuity.

Frequency-selective transmission of graded signals in large monopolar neurons of blowfly Calliphora vicina compound eye

The functional roles of voltage-gated K(+)(Kv) channels in visual system interneurons remain poorly studied. We have addressed this problem in the large monopolar cells (LMCs) of the blowfly Calliphora vicina, using intracellular recordings and mathematical modeling methods. Intracellular recordings were performed in two cellular compartments: the synaptic zone, which receives input from photoreceptors, and the axon, which provides graded potential output to the third-order visual neurons. Biophysical properties of Kv conductances in the physiological voltage range were examined in the dark with injections of current in the discontinuous current-clamp mode. Putative LMC types 1/2 and 3 (L1/2 and L3, respectively) had dissimilar Kv channelomes: L1/2 displayed a prominent inactivating Kv conductance in the axon, while L3 cells were characterized by a sustained delayed-rectifier Kv conductance. To study the propagation of voltage signals, the data were incorporated into the previously developed mathematical model. We demonstrate that the complex interaction between the passive membrane properties, Kv conductances, and the neuronal geometry leads to a resonance-like filtering of signals with peak frequencies of transmission near 15 and 40 Hz for L3 and L1/2, respectively. These results point to distinct physiological roles of different types of LMCs.

GABAergic lateral interactions tune the early stages of visual processing in Drosophila

Early stages of visual processing must capture complex, dynamic inputs. While peripheral neurons often implement efficient encoding by exploiting natural stimulus statistics, downstream neurons are specialized to extract behaviorally relevant features. How do these specializations arise? We use two-photon imaging in Drosophila to characterize a first-order interneuron, L2, that provides input to a pathway specialized for detecting moving dark edges. GABAergic interactions, mediated in part presynaptically, create an antagonistic and anisotropic center-surround receptive field. This receptive field is spatiotemporally coupled, applying differential temporal processing to large and small dark objects, achieving significant specialization. GABAergic circuits also mediate OFF responses and balance these with responses to ON stimuli. Remarkably, the functional properties of L2 are strikingly similar to those of bipolar cells, yet emerge through different molecular and circuit mechanisms. Thus, evolution appears to have converged on a common strategy for processing visual information at the first synapse.

Multichannel brain recordings in behaving Drosophila reveal oscillatory activity and local coherence in response to sensory stimulation and circuit activation

Neural networks in vertebrates exhibit endogenous oscillations that have been associated with functions ranging from sensory processing to locomotion. It remains unclear whether oscillations may play a similar role in the insect brain. We describe a novel "whole brain" readout for Drosophila melanogaster using a simple multichannel recording preparation to study electrical activity across the brain of flies exposed to different sensory stimuli. We recorded local field potential (LFP) activity from >2,000 registered recording sites across the fly brain in >200 wild-type and transgenic animals to uncover specific LFP frequency bands that correlate with: 1) brain region; 2) sensory modality (olfactory, visual, or mechanosensory); and 3) activity in specific neural circuits. We found endogenous and stimulus-specific oscillations throughout the fly brain. Central (higher-order) brain regions exhibited sensory modality-specific increases in power within narrow frequency bands. Conversely, in sensory brain regions such as the optic or antennal lobes, LFP coherence, rather than power, best defined sensory responses across modalities. By transiently activating specific circuits via expression of TrpA1, we found that several circuits in the fly brain modulate LFP power and coherence across brain regions and frequency domains. However, activation of a neuromodulatory octopaminergic circuit specifically increased neuronal coherence in the optic lobes during visual stimulation while decreasing coherence in central brain regions. Our multichannel recording and brain registration approach provides an effective way to track activity simultaneously across the fly brain in vivo, allowing investigation of functional roles for oscillations in processing sensory stimuli and modulating behavior.

Impact and sources of neuronal variability in the fly's motion vision pathway

Nervous systems encode information about dynamically changing sensory input by changes in neuronal activity. Neuronal activity changes, however, also arise from noise sources within and outside the nervous system or from changes of the animal's behavioral state. The resulting variability of neuronal responses in representing sensory stimuli limits the reliability with which animals can respond to stimuli and may thus even affect the chances for survival in certain situations. Relevant sources of noise arising at different stages along the motion vision pathway have been investigated from the sensory input to the initiation of behavioral reactions. Here, we concentrate on the reliability of processing visual motion information in flies. Flies rely on visual motion information to guide their locomotion. They are among the best established model systems for the processing of visual motion information allowing us to bridge the gap between behavioral performance and underlying neuronal computations. It has been possible to directly assess the consequences of noise at major stages of the fly's visual motion processing system on the reliability of neuronal signals. Responses of motion sensitive neurons and their variability have been related to optomotor movements as indicators for the overall performance of visual motion computation. We address whether and how noise already inherent in the stimulus, e.g. photon noise for the visual system, influences later processing stages and to what extent variability at the output level of the sensory system limits behavioral performance. Recent advances in circuit analysis and the progress in monitoring neuronal activity in behaving animals should now be applied to understand how the animal meets the requirements of fast and reliable manoeuvres in naturalistic situations.

Participation of the histamine receptor encoded by the gene hclB (HCLB) in visual sensitivity control: an electroretinographic study in Drosophila melanogaster

PURPOSE

Histaminergic transmission in the first synapse of the visual system in Drosophila melanogaster is mediated by two types of histamine receptors: 1) encoded by the gene hclA (HCLA), which is expressed in the second-order neurons-the large monopolar cells of the lamina, and is absolutely required for forward signal transmission; and 2) encoded by the gene hclB (HCLB), which is expressed in epithelial glia, and is involved in modulation of synaptic transmission from photoreceptors to large monopolar cells. The aim of our study was to establish whether the HCLB receptor-mediated modulation of synaptic transmission 1) contributes to the process of light adaptation, and 2) is involved in the control of the dynamics of sensitivity recovery after short-term light adaptation.

METHODS

The effects of mutations in the gene hclB, encoding the subunits of the histamine receptor HCLB, were studied on 1) the intensity-response (V/logI) function of electroretinographic (ERG) responses under dark adaptation, as well as under three levels of background illumination; and 2) the dynamics of the dark sensitivity recovery after short-term light adaptation.

RESULTS

The amplitude of the photoreceptor component in the electroretinogram (ERG) was not significantly different between the hclB mutants and the wild-type flies, while the amplitude of the ERG ON and OFF transients, representing the activity of the second-order visual cells, was increased in the hclB mutants under both dark and light adaptation. The ON responses were affected to a greater degree. Under a given background, the ON response V/logI function was steeper and the response dynamic range was narrowed. The absolute sensitivity of the two transients was increased, as revealed by the decrease of their thresholds. The relative sensitivity of the transients, assessed by the semisaturation points of their V/logI functions, was decreased in ON responses to long (2 s) stimuli under dark and moderate light adaptation, being unchanged under bright backgrounds. Thus, the shift of the ON response V/logI function along the stimulus intensity axis during light adaptation occurred within a narrower range. The peak latencies of the ERG transients were delayed. The slower kinetics of the ERG transients was also indicated by their lower sensitivity to low-pass filtering, the effect being more pronounced under light adaptation. In wild-type flies, an instant dark sensitivity recovery or postadaptational potentiation of the ERG transients was usually observed after short-term light adaptation. In the hclB mutants the dark sensitivity recovery in similar conditions was significantly delayed.

CONCLUSIONS

The glial histamine receptor HCLB participates in visual sensitivity control at the level of the first synapse of the Drosophila visual system under a wide range of ambient illumination conditions and contributes to the process of light adaptation. The HCLB receptor-mediated modulation of synaptic gain helps avoid response saturation and increases the range of stimulus intensities within which dynamic responses can be generated. The HCLB receptors also speed up the sensitivity recovery after short-term light adaptation and contribute to the mechanism of postadaptational potentiation. They modulate the temporal characteristics of visual responses in a way that improves the temporal resolution of the visual system and reduces redundant (low-frequency) information.

Lateral interactions in the outer retina

Lateral interactions in the outer retina, particularly negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones and direct feed-forward input from horizontal cells to bipolar cells, play a number of important roles in early visual processing, such as generating center-surround receptive fields that enhance spatial discrimination. These circuits may also contribute to post-receptoral light adaptation and the generation of color opponency. In this review, we examine the contributions of horizontal cell feedback and feed-forward pathways to early visual processing. We begin by reviewing the properties of bipolar cell receptive fields, especially with respect to modulation of the bipolar receptive field surround by the ambient light level and to the contribution of horizontal cells to the surround. We then review evidence for and against three proposed mechanisms for negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones: 1) GABA release by horizontal cells, 2) ephaptic modulation of the cone pedicle membrane potential generated by currents flowing through hemigap junctions in horizontal cell dendrites, and 3) modulation of cone calcium currents (I(Ca)) by changes in synaptic cleft proton levels. We also consider evidence for the presence of direct horizontal cell feed-forward input to bipolar cells and discuss a possible role for GABA at this synapse. We summarize proposed functions of horizontal cell feedback and feed-forward pathways. Finally, we examine the mechanisms and functions of two other forms of lateral interaction in the outer retina: negative feedback from horizontal cells to rods and positive feedback from horizontal cells to cones.

Impact of neural noise on a sensory-motor pathway signaling impending collision

Noise is a major concern in circuits processing electrical signals, including neural circuits. There are many factors that influence how noise propagates through neural circuits, and there are few systems in which noise levels have been studied throughout a processing pathway. We recorded intracellularly from multiple stages of a sensory-motor pathway in the locust that detects approaching objects. We found that responses are more variable and that signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) are lower further from the sensory periphery. SNRs remain low even with the use of stimuli for which the pathway is most selective and for which the neuron representing its final sensory level must integrate many synaptic inputs. Modeling of this neuron shows that variability in the strength of individual synaptic inputs within a large population has little effect on the variability of the spiking output. In contrast, jitter in the timing of individual inputs and spontaneous variability is important for shaping the responses to preferred stimuli. These results suggest that neural noise is inherent to the processing of visual stimuli signaling impending collision and contributes to shaping neural responses along this sensory-motor pathway.