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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.02.02.701812

Retinal waves shape starburst amacrine cell dendrite development through a direction-selective dendritic computation

Pitcher, M. N.·Gonzales, A. S. B.·Habib, R.·Feller, M. B.
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Abstract

During development, dendrites undergo structural plasticity in response to neural activity; however, whether spatiotemporal activity patterns can instruct dendritic growth remains unclear. Prior to vision, the developing mouse retina exhibits spontaneous retinal waves with a nasal propagation bias that mimics forward optic flow. Here, we reveal that starburst amacrine cells use direction-selective dendritic computations to transform this propagation bias into asymmetric dendrite growth, linking activity patterns to structural development.

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Pitcher, M. N., Gonzales, A. S. B., Habib, R., Feller, M. B.. 2026-02-04. Retinal waves shape starburst amacrine cell dendrite development through a direction-selective dendritic computation. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.02.701812

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