Spatial buffering of potassium by retinal Müller (glial) cells of various morphologies calculated by a model.

In a previous study we found the morphometrical data of rabbit retinal Müller (radial glial) cells to vary greatly with their localization in various parts of the retina. The long cells of the central retina have thinner vitreal processes and smaller endfeet than the short cells of the retinal periphery. This configuration should impair the spatial buffering capacity of the central Müller cells for excess K+ ions. To test this hypothesis, we developed a simple modified model for the calculation of K+ clearance by spatial buffering, diffusion through the extracellular space, and co-operation of both processes. K+ clearance processes were demonstrated to depend greatly on the retinal geometry and Müller cell morphology in different parts of the retina. The efficiency of spatial buffering exhibited an obvious optimum for Müller cells of intermediate length, and decreased very steeply in longer cells. Some conclusions are drawn with respect to retinal physiology. In particular, it is suggested that very long and slender radial glia is unable to perform sufficient K+ clearance preventing long-lasting extracellular [K+] elevations after neuronal activity. Such [K+] elevations could depolarize these glial cells so as to enforce their mitotic division. This mechanism might lead to the perinatal transformation of embryonic radial glia into adult multipolar glia when neuronal activity commences in CNS tissues thicker than the maximal effective length of radial glial cells.