References ............................................... 59 Subject Index ............................................. 65 6 Introduction The retina as an organ of perception of light, colour, shape and movement has been the subject of numerous and intensive light- and electron-microscopical investigations. To date the interest in these has largely been concentrated on the structure of the ma ture retina and the genesis of its cellular elements. The first exhaustive observations on the development of the retina in vertebrates were made by Babuchin (1863). Using the retinae of chicken embryos, he showed that Millier's radial fibres and the ganglion cells are the first to develop, while the receptor segments are the last. Subsequently, the early differentiation of Millier's radial fibres was often reaffirmed (Cajal, 1893; Meller, 1968; Bhattacharjee and Sanyal, 1975; and others). Furthermore, Babuchin had already indicated that the structural development in the area of the posterior pole is very rapid compared with those regions of the retina which are situated more peripherally. Today, when comparing results of electron-mi croscopical investigations, this fact is of particular importance, since in each case only very limited areas of the retina can be examined. Schultze (1867a, b) pointed out the uniformity of origin and the general classifica tion of light-perceiving elements into inner and outer segments, thus contesting the hitherto generally held opinion that these structures, like the pigment epithelium, ori of the eye cup. In 1881 Ogneff discovered the analogous ginate from the outer leaf mode of formation in birds and mammals.

A volume honoring visual scientist Ikeda, whose work relates to many of the significant advances in the field over the past 40 years. The 16 contributions are arranged within three sections: ocular structure, function, and disease; retinal structure, function, and disease; and higher visual centers--structure, function, and disease. Among the topics are a study of pupil response components in human vision; the architecture of functional neural circuits in the cat retina; and the role of the pretectum in the pupillary light reflex. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Development and Organization of the Retina offers an invaluable survey of contemporary research issues and methods dealing with the retina and retinal projections. The book's 19 chapters report on investigations into two areas: research into the organization of the mature retina and work on developmental issues. A sampling of chapter topics includes -- embryonic patterning of cone subtypes in the mammalian retina -- synaptic transmission between retinal neurons -- scaling the retina, macro and micro -- retinal ganglion cell axonal transport, and more.

The vertebrate retina has a form that is closely and clearly linked to its func tion. Though its fundamental cellular architecture is conserved across verte brates, the retinas of individual species show variations that are also of clear and direct functional utility. Its accessibility, readily identifiable neuronal types, and specialized neuronal connectivity and morphology have made it a model system for researchers interested in the general questions of the genet ic, molecular, and developmental control of cell type and shape. Thus, the questions asked of the retina span virtually every domain of neuroscientific inquiry-molecular, genetic, developmental, behavioral, and evolutionary. Nowhere have the interactions of these levels of analysis been more apparent and borne more fruit than in the last several years of study of the develop ment of the vertebrate retina. Fields of investigation have a natural evolution, rdoving through periods of initial excitement, of framing of questions and controversy, to periods of synthesis and restatement of questions. The study of the development of the vertebrate retina appeared to us to have reached such a point of synthesis. Descriptive questions of how neurons are generated and deployed, and ques tions of mechanism about the factors that control the retinal neuron's type and distribution and the conformation of its processes have been posed, and in good part answered. Moreover, the integration of cellular accounts of development with genetic, molecular, and whole-eye and behavioral accounts has begun.