Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erika M. Ellis, Antonio E. Paniagua, Miranda L. Scalabrino, Mishek Thapa, Jay Rathinavelu, Yuekan Jiao, David S. Williams, Greg D. Field, Gordon L. Fain, Alapakkam P. Sampath
Summary: Most defects causing RP are rod-specific mutations, but the degeneration of cones is the most debilitating feature. Researchers made single-cell recordings of light responses from degenerating cones and retinal interneurons, finding that degenerating cones can still give light responses through opsin localized in specific membrane areas or distributed throughout the inner segment. The findings show that cones and their retinal pathways can remain functional during degeneration, providing hope for enhancing the light sensitivity of residual cones in restoring vision in RP patients.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brent K. Young, Charu Ramakrishnan, Tushar Ganjawala, Ping Wang, Karl Deisseroth, Ning Tian
Summary: Neurons in the CNS have distinct characteristics based on neurotransmitter types, synaptic connections, morphology, and genetic profiles. A previously unidentified interneuron in the mammalian retina exhibits similarities with bipolar cells and amacrine cells, suggesting a potentially unique role in vision processing. This discovery highlights the complexity and diversity of neuronal populations in the CNS.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jennifer Ding, Albert Chen, Janet Chung, Hector Acaron Ledesma, Mofei Wu, David M. Berson, Stephanie E. Palmer, Wei Wei
Summary: The study reveals that On-Off DSGCs have spatially displaced glutamatergic receptive fields, contributing to specific spiking responses during interrupted motion trajectories. Theoretical analysis suggests that under different stimulus conditions, On-Off DSGCs may collectively signal the spatial location of moving objects in complex visual environments, showcasing the utilization of separate mechanisms by the direction-selective circuit.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jean de Montigny, Evelyne Sernagor, Roman Bauer
Summary: Individual retinal cell types form semi-regular spatial patterns known as retinal mosaics, and retinal ganglion cells and starburst amacrine cells are examples of such patterns. The mechanisms behind mosaic formation involve homotypic cell interactions, cell migration, and cell death. By using experiments in mice and an agent-based simulation framework called BioDynaMo, researchers aim to understand the formation of retinal mosaics. They find that cell migration is the main contributing factor to the regularity of the mosaic pattern. They also propose that the regular spacing of retinal ganglion cells may not be a necessary criterion for the formation of a specific type of retinal ganglion cell. Furthermore, the study explores the formation of starburst amacrine cell mosaics and the interactions between the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer populations. They suggest that homotypic interactions between these populations are crucial for reproducing the observed characteristics of starburst amacrine cell mosaics, indicating that the two populations may not be independent during retinal development.
Article
Cell Biology
Lei Gu, Jacky M. K. Kwong, Joseph Caprioli, Natik Piri
Summary: Rbfox1 is associated with neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions, as well as age-related neurodegenerative diseases. This study showed that 22-month-old Rbfox1 KO mice had visual function deficiencies and normal retinal morphology, with no effect on the survival of injured RGCs.
Article
Neurosciences
Ching-Kang Chen, Takae Kiyama, Nicole Weber, Christopher M. Whitaker, Ping Pan, Tudor C. Badea, Stephen C. Massey, Chai-An Mao
Summary: The study found that Tbr2 is essential for the formation and maintenance of ipRGCs, and it can regulate various types of retinal neurons, including RGCs and GABAergic displaced amacrine cells (dACs). Most Tbr2(+) RGCs are intrinsically photosensitive, morphologically resembling ipRGCs, and also include a unique OFF RGC subtype.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Colin Klaus, Giovanni Caruso, Vsevolod V. Gurevich, Heidi E. Hamm, Clint L. Makino, Emmanuele DiBenedetto
Summary: The study examined the impact of biochemical parameters of cone cells in the retina on visual perception and identified key parameters through global sensitivity analysis, providing insight for prioritizing parameter measurement in future investigations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John A. Gaynes, Samuel A. Budoff, Michael J. Grybko, Joshua B. Hunt, Alon Poleg-Polsky
Summary: Antagonistic interactions between center and surround receptive field components are crucial in visual computations. We found that bipolar cells enhance responses to objects in their receptive field and show altered dynamics during continuous motion.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Anatomy & Morphology
Caridad Galindo-Romero, Maria Norte-Munoz, Alejandro Gallego-Ortega, Kristy T. Rodriguez-Ramirez, Fernando Lucas-Ruiz, Maria Josefa Gonzalez-Riquelme, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Marta Agudo-Barriuso
Summary: This article summarizes the main topographical and functional characteristics of the rat retina, focusing on retinal ganglion cells and photoreceptors. Understanding the normal state of these neurons is crucial for studying neuronal survival and protection.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Lei Gu, Jacky M. Kwong, Joseph Caprioli, Natik Piri
Summary: Rbfox1 is a multifunctional RNA binding protein that plays key roles in regulating alternative splicing and cell survival under stress. Deletion of Rbfox1 in retinal ganglion cells results in decreased survival and severe degeneration, indicating its importance in neuronal functions and survival mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Corinne Beier, Ulisse Bocchero, Lior Levy, Zhijing Zhang, Nange Jin, Stephen C. Massey, Christophe P. Ribelayga, Kirill Martemyanov, Samer Hattar, Johan Pahlberg
Summary: Image and non-image forming vision play important roles in animal behavior. This study used genetically modified mouse lines to investigate the retinal circuits involved in driving these two types of vision. The results showed that the OFF pathway is responsible for image formation, while the ON pathway is involved in non-image-forming behaviors such as the pupillary light response and circadian photoentrainment. Cone cells contribute to image formation, but do not drive the pupillary light response. Rod cells use different pathways to drive the pupillary light response depending on the light intensity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Santiago Milla-Navarro, Ariadna Diaz-Tahoces, Isabel Ortuno-Lizaran, Eduardo Fernandez, Nicolas Cuenca, Francisco Germain, Pedro de la Villa
Summary: The study investigates the effect of intraocular injection of different doses of NMDA/KA on the structure and function of several types of retinal cells, finding that excitotoxicity causes a harmful effect characterized by a great loss of cells and degeneration of the inner retina, leading to impaired light sensitivity and visual acuity. The study highlights the importance of glutamate receptors expressed by different types of retinal cells, with a strong effect on the OFF pathway identified as a main finding.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
William N. Grimes, Didem Goz Ayturk, Mrinalini Hoon, Takeshi Yoshimatsu, Clare Gamlin, Daniel Carrera, Amurta Nath, Francisco M. Nadal-Nicolas, Richard M. Ahlquist, Adit Sabnis, David M. Berson, Jeffrey S. Diamond, Rachel O. Wong, Connie Cepko, Fred Rieke
Summary: This study introduces a previously unstudied inhibitory amacrine cell, named MAC, that is directly coupled to Muller glia in the mouse retina. MACs release glycine at chemical synapses and show selective connections with a subpopulation of retinal ganglion cell types.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Yuan Liu, Richard K. Lee
Summary: Degenerative diseases like glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy cause loss of retinal cells and serious vision loss. Stem cell transplantation shows promise but faces significant hurdles, particularly in replacing injured retinal ganglion cells, due to the Switchboard Dilemma which is analogous to the complexity of a telephone network's switchboard system in the retina.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Di Xu, Li-Ting Zhong, Hai-Yang Cheng, Zeng-Qiang Wang, Xiong-Min Chen, Ai-Ying Feng, Wei-Yi Chen, Gong Chen, Ying Xu
Summary: This study demonstrates the ability of NeuroD1 to reprogram Muller cells in the retina of adult mice into different subtypes of retinal neurons, with potential to restore vision.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Diego Garcia-Ayuso, Johnny Di Pierdomenico, Esmeralda Moya-Rodriguez, Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano, Caridad Galindo-Romero, Paloma Sobrado-Calvo
Summary: The study found that female gender, online class attendance, longer hours spent in online classes, and contact lens wearers were more likely to experience dry eye symptoms. This suggests that the synchronous hybrid learning environment may increase students' exposure to video display terminals and the prevalence of dry eye symptoms.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTOMETRY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Ophthalmology
Elsa Albero-Ros, Samuel David, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Marcelino Aviles-Trigueros
ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Martinez-Vacas, Johnny Di Pierdomenico, Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Serge Picaud, Maria Paz Villegas-Perez, Diego Garcia-Ayuso
Summary: In this study, we investigated the effects of taurine deficiency on glial cell activation and oxidative stress. The results showed that taurine deficiency caused cell damage in various layers of the retina and increased the susceptibility of photoreceptor outer segments to light damage.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ophthalmology
Johnny Di Pierdomenico, Alejandro Gallego-Ortega, Ana Martinez-Vacas, David Garcia-Bernal, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Maria P. Villegas-Perez, Diego Garcia-Ayuso
Summary: Syngeneic bone marrow mononuclear stem cell transplantation can reduce photoreceptor degeneration and have anti-gliotic effects on Muller cells, but does not improve retinal function.
ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Maria Norte-Munoz, Alejandro Gallego-Ortega, Fernando Lucas-Ruiz, Maria J. Gonzalez-Riquelme, Yazmin Changa-Espinoza, Caridad Galindo-Romero, Peter Ponsaerts, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, David Garcia-Bernal, Marta Agudo-Barriuso
Summary: This study compares the response of the mouse retina to different modes of MSC transplantation and finds that different transplantation modes lead to varying degrees of anatomical and functional changes, with xenotransplants being the most detrimental. This finding is of great importance for preclinical studies.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Ophthalmology
Manuel Vidal-Sanz, B. Vidal-Villegas, A. Gallego-Ortega, G. Rovere, F. M. Nadal-Nicolas, J. Di Pierdomenico, M. Aviles-Trigueros, M. Agudo-Barriuso, M. P. Villegas-Perez
ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA
(2022)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Johnny Di Pierdomenico, Ana Martinez-Vacas, Serge Picaud, Maria P. Villegas-Perez, Diego Garcia-Ayuso
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Jose Gonzalez-Riquelme, Fernando Lucas-Ruiz, Caridad Galindo-Romero, Raquel Boia, Antonio Francisco Ambrosio, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Ana Raquel Santiago, Marta Agudo-Barriuso
Summary: This study compares retinal organotypic cultures (ROCs) with in vivo models to study retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and glial activation. The results show that there are significant differences in glial activation between ROCs and in vivo models, with earlier and different morphological activation in ROCs. Additionally, microglial cell density in ROCs is consistently lower than in vivo. ROCs can be used for proof-of-concept studies on neuroprotection, but long-term experiments should be performed in vivo.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Nenad T. Pokrajac, Nicholas J. A. Tokarew, Akshay Gurdita, Arturo Ortin-Martinez, Valerie A. Wallace
Summary: The microenvironment plays a crucial role in brain tumor initiation, but this area of study is not well-explored. In this research, it was discovered that Norrin/Frizzled4 activation can control preneoplasia and tumor progression in a mouse model of Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma (Shh-MB) by influencing meningeal macrophages (mMFs). Depletion of mMFs during the preneoplastic period enhances preneoplasia and tumorigenesis, similar to the effects of Norrin loss. The anti-tumorigenic function of mMFs is mediated by the expression of CXCL4, which counteracts signaling in pre-tumor cells and inhibits cell-cycle progression while promoting migration away from the pre-tumor niche.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Jose Maria Cabrera-Maqueda, Raquel Boia, Fernando Lucas-Ruiz, Maria Jose Gonzalez-Riquelme, Antonio Francisco Ambrosio, Ana Raquel Santiago, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Marta Agudo-Barriuso, Caridad Galindo-Romero
Summary: The main purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of unilateral optic nerve crush on the gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, and gliosis markers in injured and contralateral retinas. The results showed that both sham surgery and optic nerve crush changed the profile of inflammatory and gliosis markers in the injured and contralateral retinas, with more pronounced changes in optic nerve crush.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Johnny Di Pierdomenico, Raquel Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano, Caridad Galindo-Romero, Diego Garcia-Ayuso
Summary: This study investigated the knowledge, training, and clinical practice of Spanish optometrists regarding preventing and controlling myopia progression. A web-based questionnaire was distributed and the results showed that the majority of respondents had over 20 years of experience in the optometry field and were very concerned about the increasing frequency of pediatric myopia. The respondents believed that the efficacy of myopia management is related to the age of prescription and suggested a minimum necessary degree of progression for considering myopia management options. The most commonly prescribed method of myopia correction was single-vision spectacles, followed by orthokeratology and soft-defocus contact lenses.
INTERNATIONAL OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Caridad Galindo-Romero, Celia L. Rodriguez-Zamora, Diego Garcia-Ayuso, Johnny Di Pierdomenico, Francisco J. Valiente-Soriano
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of computer vision syndrome (CVS)-related symptoms in a presbyopic population using the computer as the main work tool, and examined the relationship between CVS and electronic device use habits and ergonomic factors. The results showed that the median total symptom score (MTSS) in the presbyopic population was 7 +/- 5 symptoms, with dry eyes, tired eyes, and difficulties in refocusing being the most common symptoms. MTSS was higher in women, laptop computer users, and teleworkers compared to office workers, and was also higher in participants who did not take breaks while working, had inadequate lighting in the workspace, and reported neck or back pain.
INTERNATIONAL OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Francisco M. Nadal-Nicolas, Caridad Galindo-Romero, Fernando Lucas-Ruiz, Nicholas Marsh-Amstrong, Wei Li, Manuel Vidal-Sanz, Marta Agudo-Barriuso
Summary: Univocal identification of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is necessary for studying their degeneration and neuroprotection. Retrograde tracing of retinorecipient areas is an invasive technique used in the past, but not feasible in higher mammals. This review analyzed nine markers used to identify RGCs in rats, mice, and macaques, and found BRN3A and RBPMS to be the best markers in terms of specificity and labeling proportion.
ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
He-Yan Li, Li Dong, Xu-Han Shi, Rui-Heng Zhang, Wen-Da Zhou, Hao-Tian Wu, Chu-Yao Yu, Yi-Tong Li, Yi-Fan Li, Jost B. Jonas, Wen-Bin Wei, Yue-Ming Liu
Summary: This study aimed to examine the intraocular tolerability of cetuximab when applied intravitreally, and its effect on axial elongation. The results showed that intravitreal injections of cetuximab could reduce axial elongation in a dose-dependent and number of treatment-dependent manner, without causing intraocular toxic effects.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Ophthalmology
James D. Cole, John A. McDaniel, Joelle Nilak, Ashley Ban, Carlos Rodriguez, Zuhaad Hameed, Marta Grannonico, Peter A. Netland, Hu Yang, Ignacio Provencio, Xiaorong Liu
Summary: Aniridia is a panocular condition characterized by the loss of iris, caused mainly by mutations in the PAX6 gene. This study assessed the effects of Pax6-haploinsufficiency on retinal morphology and vision in Pax6Sey mice. The results showed elevated intraocular pressure and declining visual acuity in Pax6Sey mice, along with local retinal damage and a possible neuroinflammatory response.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Ophthalmology
Subao Jiang, Ning Xia, Francesco Buonfiglio, Elsa W. Boehm, Qi Tang, Norbert Pfeiffer, Dominik Olinger, Huige Li, Adrian Gericke
Summary: This study found that a high-fat diet induces endothelial dysfunction in the ophthalmic artery, leading to impaired vascular function in the eye. The high-fat diet triggers oxidative stress and involves RAGE and NOX2.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Review
Ophthalmology
Mala Upadhyay, Vera L. Bonilha
Summary: The sodium iodate (NaIO3) model is a valuable tool in studying dry AMD and evaluating the retinal structure. Through extensive research, it has been found that the death of RPE cells caused by NaIO3 injection is closely related to vision loss in patients with dry AMD. Therefore, studying NaIO3 can provide insights into the mechanisms of RPE and photoreceptor cell death and contribute to understanding RPE degeneration in AMD.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Ophthalmology
Vicki Chrysostomou, Katharina C. Bell, Sze Woei Ng, Samyuktha Suresh, Gayathri Karthik, Marion Millet, Yingying Chung, Jonathan G. Crowston
Summary: We present a new experimental model for inducing retinal ganglion cell (RGC) dysfunction and degeneration in mice. This model allows for the reliable induction of RGC dysfunction and loss, with the resilience of the optic nerve being dependent on the age of the animal. The time-defined nature of the functional and structural changes observed in this model will facilitate the study of glial responses and the evaluation of neuroprotective treatments after intraocular pressure (IOP) injury.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2024)