Are retraction and remodeling of rod spherules early events following experimental retinal detachment : an ultrastructural study using serial sections?
Immunocytochemistry enabled RB and HC neurites to appear postsynaptic to retracted rod terminals. However, at the ultrastructural level, HCs seemed to more consistently retain connection with the retracted spherules than the RBs. The highly conserved architecture of the rod spherule was lost as the invagination opened and postsynaptic contacts became fewer. It would seem that the lack of RB central elements as well as the drastic alterations in the architecture of most retracted terminals would necessarily alter the physiology of this complex synapse.
Based on our findings, increased postmortem UR expression could serve as a biomarker to aid diagnosis of early MI.