# Dissecting inhibitory mechanisms and their contribution to information processing in retinal ganglion cells.

> **NIH NIH F31** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $41,766

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
A fundamental goal in neuroscience is to determine how information is coded by the spiking activity of a neural
population. In the retina, parallel circuits process different features of visual input into a pattern of
spatiotemporal activity across retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Each RGC type corresponds to a distinct parallel
processing channel, collectively aimed at simultaneously encoding diverse features from the entire visual field.
Given the limited capacity of the optic nerve for information transmission, the RGC population has evolved to
be highly efficient at this task. A diverse set of complex linear and nonlinear computations achieves this
efficient coding, but the parallel retinal circuits supporting these computations are poorly understood. This
project will investigate how feed-forward inhibition onto RGCs contributes to the parallel processing of visual
scenes. In particular, I will determine how GABAergic inhibition shapes the feature selectively of RGCs and the
signaling performed by a population of neurons. To identify the role of feed-forward GABAergic inhibition onto
different RGC types, I have developed an innovative approach that combines a chemogenetic technique
called DART to selectively modulate GABAA receptors on RGCs with simultaneous recording of spiking activity
from hundreds of RGCs with multi-electrode arrays. In Aim 1, I will evaluate how inhibition shapes the RGC-
type specific spatiotemporal linear filter, which describes how visual input is encoded linearly in space and
time. In Aim 2, I will identify how feed-forward inhibition contributes to static nonlinearity, which defines the
relative sensitivity of RGC responses to different visual stimuli. Lastly, in Aim 3, I will determine how GABA
inhibition shapes correlated activity, a crucial aspect for population-level decoding. The expected outcome of
this proposal will be identifying how synapse-level mechanisms shape the output of the retina. The project is
significant because determining the inhibitory signaling pathways underlying neural computations is critical for
comprehending information processing with broader implications for fields like perception, behavior, and
adaptation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10996018
- **Project number:** 1F31EY036716-01
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Andra Marija Rudzite
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $41,766
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2025-01-01 → 2027-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10996018

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10996018, Dissecting inhibitory mechanisms and their contribution to information processing in retinal ganglion cells. (1F31EY036716-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/10996018. Licensed CC0.

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