College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2026-05-07 06:10:57
Major
Biomedical Science
Honors Course
BIOL 499 – Senior Honors Program in Biology
Number of Credits
4
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2026
Abstract
Rod bipolar cells (RBCs) are key interneurons in the mouse retina that transmit signals from rod photoreceptors to downstream amacrine and ganglion cells under scotopic (low-light) conditions. Although their general morphology and function are well established, the fine-scale organization of their synaptic inputs and outputs remains incompletely characterized. This project aims to map the pre- and postsynaptic partners of a fully reconstructed rod bipolar cell using the Yu volume, a serial block-face electron microscopy dataset from the ventral retina of an adult wild-type mouse. Using the webKnossos platform, I identify synaptic ribbons in the axon terminals of the rod bipolar cell and trace postsynaptic dendritic processes back to their cell bodies. Postsynaptic partners are classified based on morphology and stratification patterns within specific sublayers (S1–S5) of the inner plexiform layer. By systematically reconstructing and annotating these synaptic relationships, this work contributes to ongoing connectomic efforts to build a detailed wiring diagram of retinal circuitry. Understanding how rod bipolar cells distribute their outputs across different neuronal populations provides insight into the structural basis of visual signal processing in low-light conditions.
Research Sponsor
Jordan Renna
First Reader
Brian Bagatto
Second Reader
Rolando Ramirez
Honors Faculty Advisor
Brian Bagatto
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Community Engaged Scholarship
No
Recommended Citation
Eshun, Harold F., "Synaptic Connectivity of Rod Bipolar Cells in the Mouse Retina: A Connectomic Analysis Using WebKnossos" (2026). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 2211.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/2211