Countdown to Neuropia: Phase 1 Complete!
Congratulations Eyewirers! We have completed Phase 1 of our Countdown to Neuropia!
The phase 1 began on October 10th, together with the official launch of Korean EyeWire. After a little more than a month of time, it was completed on November 14th. See what we have done! (Click here to see the high resolution image. Warning: this file is Big!)
Phase 1 focused on a 50 x 50 micron square in GCL containing a total of 27 neurons. 8 of these Neurons were completed by Eyewirers before the countdown began, leaving a total of 19 completed between the beginning of the Countdown and the completion of Phase 1.
You can track our progress towards the Countdown to Neuropia here! Our next goal is to complete phase 2, a 100×100 micron area. Phase 2 includes 63 cells, 2 of which we’ve already completed! It will be an even greater challenge than Phase 1, but together we can complete it in no time! So what are you waiting for! Let’s go trace some cells!
Before you leave if you have some time, check out this Gallery of all the cells we’ve traced in Phase 1 Zone! Look at the variety in their sizes and shapes.
Why are these neurons so diverse? Neuroscientists believe that neurons with different shapes do different things. There is much to be done to figure out what types they belong to, but here’s a basic break down of the 27 neurons.
13 neurons are Ganglion Cells, the output neurons of the retina. We know a neuron is a ganglion cell if there is an axon. You may have noticed from the EyeWire cell overview that there is sometimes a single branch which is at a different location from other branches. This is the axon.
The other 14 neurons are Amacrine Cells, 3 of which are the Starburst cells old EyeWirers may be familiar with. Amacrine cells don’t have axons leaving the retina and they mediate the communication of neurons within the retina.
