Survival of retinal ganglion cells after transection of the optic nerve in adult cats: A quantitative study within two weeks

We have previously reported that a small number of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of adult cats survive 2 months after transection of the optic nerve (ON) and that α cells have the greatest ability to survive among different types of RGCs (Watanabe et al., 1995). Here we report the time course of RGC survival within 15 days after ON transection using retrograde labeling with DiI injected into the bilateral lateral geniculate nuclei of cats. The density of DiI-labeled RGCs in the central retina as well as in the periphery did not change until day 3 after ON transection, then decreased rapidly, to 43% of the original density on day 7, and falling to 19% by day 14. We then intracellularly injected Lucifer yellow into the DiI-labeled RGCs to examine the difference in the time course between surviving α and β cells. Similar to the density change in total surviving RGCs, the proportion of surviving β cells did not change until day 3, then decreased rapidly to 65% of the original density on day 4, falling to 12% by day 14. By contrast, 64% of α cells survived for 14 days after axotomy. Analysis of regression lines for survival time courses indicated that death of β cells was characterized with a rapid period phase from day 3 to day 7 after axotomy whereas that of α cells lacked it. Axon-like sprouting from surviving β cells was first recognized in the nerve fiber layer on day 3, and were later more conspicuous.