Horizontal cell axon terminals in growing goldfish

In the retina of teleost fish, cone horizontal cell axons penetrate the inner nuclear layer, where they enlarge into fusiform terminal swellings. The present study shows that horizontal cell axon terminals enlarge disproportionately during postembryonic growth of the retina in juvenile and adult goldfish: the relative volume of axon terminals increases almost 20-fold, while the volume of the entire retina increases only about fourfold during a 2-3-yr period. The enlarging axon terminals fill in the gaps created as the numerical density of nuclei in the inner nuclear layer falls. Horizontal cell axon terminals are thought to participate in cone-dominated visual pathways, although their precise role is unclear. The results of this study suggest that a comparison of horizontal cell function in small and large fish might help to resolve this issue.