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Neurotransmitter Stimulation for Retinal Prosthesis: The Artificial Synapse Chip

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Visual Prosthetics

Abstract

Retinal prostheses may one day improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or millions of blind patients with advanced age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), depending on their effectiveness. While considerable progress has been made in electrical stimulation of the retina, herein we explore some possible alternatives to electrical stimulation for retinal prosthesis. Since neurotransmitters normally shape visual responses, some groups have been developing visual prostheses based upon the spatially and temporally controlled delivery of neurotransmitters to the retina. This chapter examines the possibilities for utilizing these chemical messengers, as a means to effectively stimulate retinal ganglion cells and produce vision along established visual information channels.

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Abbreviations

5HT:

5-Hydoxytryphan, serotonin

AGB:

1-Amino-4-guanidobutane

AMPA:

α-Amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate

EAAT:

Excitatory amino acid transporters

GABA:

Gamma-aminobutyrate

iGluR:

Ionotropic glutamate receptor (GluR1, GluR2, GluR3, GluR4)

INL:

Inner nuclear layer

IPL:

Inner plexiform layer

mGlur:

Metabotropic glutamate receptor

NMDA:

N-methyl-d-aspartate

OPL:

Outer plexiform layer

P#:

Postnatal day

PR:

Photoreceptors

RCS:

Royal College of Surgeons

RD1:

Retinal degeneration type 1 mouse

RGC:

Retinal ganglion cell

RP:

Retinitis pigmentosa

S334ter:

Opsin gene bearing a termination codon at residue 334

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  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street, SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Raymond Iezzi

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  1. Raymond Iezzi
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Correspondence to Raymond Iezzi .

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    Gislin Dagnelie

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Iezzi, R., Finlayson, P.G. (2011). Neurotransmitter Stimulation for Retinal Prosthesis: The Artificial Synapse Chip. In: Dagnelie, G. (eds) Visual Prosthetics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0754-7_9

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