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Calcium and retinal function

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Abstract

We survey the primary roles of calcium in retinal function, including photoreceptor transduction, transmitter release by different classes of retinal neuron, calcium-mediated regulation of gap-junctional conductance, activation of certain voltage-gated channels for K+ and C1−, and modulation of postsynaptic potentials in retinal ganglion cells. We discuss three mechanisms for changing [Ca2+]i, which include flux through voltage-gated calcium channels, through ligand-gated channels, and by release from stores. The neuromodulatory pathways affecting each of these routes of entry are considered. The many neuromodulatory mechanisms in which calcium is a player are described and their effects upon retinal function discussed.

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  1. Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, 10016, New York, New York

    Abram Akopian & Paul Witkovsky

  2. Department of Physiology & Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, 10016, New York, New York

    Paul Witkovsky

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Correspondence to Abram Akopian.

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Akopian, A., Witkovsky, P. Calcium and retinal function. Mol Neurobiol 25, 113–132 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1385/MN:25:2:113

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