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Automated Tracing of Horizontal Neuron Processes During Retinal Development

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A Correction to this article was published on 18 May 2019

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Abstract

In the developing mammalian retina, horizontal neurons undergo a dramatic reorganization of their processes shortly after they migrate to their appropriate laminar position. This is an important process because it is now understood that the apical processes are important for establishing the regular mosaic of horizontal cells in the retina and proper reorganization during lamination is required for synaptogenesis with photoreceptors and bipolar neurons. However, this process is difficult to study because the analysis of horizontal neuron anatomy is labor intensive and time-consuming. In this paper, we present a computational method for automatically tracing the three-dimensional (3-D) dendritic structure of horizontal retinal neurons in two-photon laser scanning microscope (TPLSM) imagery. Our method is based on 3-D skeletonization and is thus able to preserve the complex structure of the dendritic arbor of these cells. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by comparing our tracing results against two sets of semi-automated traces over a set of 10 horizontal neurons ranging in age from P1 to P5. We observe an average agreement level of 81% between our automated trace and the manual traces. This automated method will serve as an important starting point for further refinement and optimization.

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  • 18 May 2019

    The authors regret that they neglected to cite their conference report on the technical part of a ���preliminary study��� presented at, and published in, the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Conference (BSEC), 2010, May 25-26 (Fully automated segmentation and characterization of the dendritic trees of retinal horizontal neurons -DOI: 10.1109/BSEC.2010.5510843 ), as it related to the larger dataset presented as validation of the method in the Neurochemical Research article (Automated Tracing of Horizontal Neuron Processes During Retinal Development- Neurochem Res. 2011 Apr;36(4):583-93). This resulted in the lack of transparency on the re-use and duplication of introductory text, which should have been cited. No figures or tables were reproduced, but rather larger confirmatory data and different set of results were reported. Appropriate authors were cited in both papers

  • 18 May 2019

    The authors regret that they neglected to cite their conference report on the technical part of a ���preliminary study��� presented at, and published in, the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Conference (BSEC), 2010, May 25-26 (Fully automated segmentation and characterization of the dendritic trees of retinal horizontal neurons -DOI: 10.1109/BSEC.2010.5510843 ), as it related to the larger dataset presented as validation of the method in the Neurochemical Research article (Automated Tracing of Horizontal Neuron Processes During Retinal Development- Neurochem Res. 2011 Apr;36(4):583-93). This resulted in the lack of transparency on the re-use and duplication of introductory text, which should have been cited. No figures or tables were reproduced, but rather larger confirmatory data and different set of results were reported. Appropriate authors were cited in both papers

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Acknowledgments

Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01EY018599 and R01EY014867); Cancer Center Support CA 21765 from the National Cancer Institute; and grants from the American Cancer Society, the Pew Charitable Trust, Macular Vision Research Foundation and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. Dr. Dyer is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Investigator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Measurement Science and Systems Engineering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, MS 6075, 1 Bethel Valley Rd., Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA

    Ryan A. Kerekes & Shaun Gleason

  2. Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco G, Cidade Universitária, 21941-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Rodrigo A. P. Martins

  3. Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA

    Denise Davis & Michael A. Dyer

  4. Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Mahmut Karakaya

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA

    Michael A. Dyer

  6. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Michael A. Dyer

Authors
  1. Ryan A. Kerekes
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  2. Rodrigo A. P. Martins
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  3. Denise Davis
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  4. Mahmut Karakaya
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  5. Shaun Gleason
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  6. Michael A. Dyer
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Correspondence to Ryan A. Kerekes.

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Special Issue: In Honor of Dr. Dianna Johnson.

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Kerekes, R.A., Martins, R.A.P., Davis, D. et al. Automated Tracing of Horizontal Neuron Processes During Retinal Development. Neurochem Res 36, 583–593 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-010-0390-1

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