Conservation of retinal direction-selective circuits across vertebrate species.

Allison T Reed, Alex L Kolodkin, Karina Chaudhari, Robert J Johnston

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Current opinion in genetics & development, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Allison T ReedThe Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States; Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States.

Alex L KolodkinThe Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States; The Johns Hopkins Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.

Karina ChaudhariThe Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States; The Johns Hopkins Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.

Robert J JohnstonThe Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States; Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States. Electronic address: robertjohnston@jhu.edu.

Funding

Cone subtype specification in human retinas and organoidsR01EY030872 · NEI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI JOHNSTON, ROBERT JOHN · 2020 to 2023

$2.1M

BLab-seq, a non-toxic, transgene-based method for determining birth dates and transcriptomic profiles of neuronal subtypes in human organoidsR21EY038865 · NEI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Robert John Johnston · 2026 to 2026

$428k

NEI NIH HHS R01 EY030872NEI NIH HHS R21 EY038865

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Retinal circuits extract visual features such as color, contrast, and motion. Direction-selective (DS) circuits provide a well-studied model for understanding how the brain builds feature-selective circuits. Recent work highlights the remarkable evolutionary conservation of DS circuit components. Across species, these circuits share common transcriptional programs that diversify DS cell types and molecular cues that help establish precise synaptic organization. Directional tuning emerges during development without visual input through gene regulatory networks, extracellular signaling, and activity-dependent mechanisms. Disruption of these processes can impair motion processing and contribute to visual and oculomotor deficits. Therefore, DS circuits provide a powerful system for dissecting the molecular programs involved in neuronal subtype diversification, neurite guidance, and synaptic development. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of DS circuits, their development, cell type composition, and tuning across species.

Indexed as

Motion PerceptionRetinaVertebratesVisual PathwaysAnimalsGene Regulatory NetworksHumans

Identifiers

PMID42600552

DOI10.1016/j.gde.2026.102527

PMCPMC13551997

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.