Progressive Degeneration of Retinal and Superior Collicular Functions in Mice With Sustained Ocular Hypertension
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: PURPOSE: We investigated the progressive degeneration of retinal and superior collicular functions in a mouse model of sustained ocular hypertension. METHODS: Focal laser illumination and injection of polystyrene microbeads were used to induce chronic ocular hypertension. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss was characterized by in vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT) and immunohistochemistry. Retinal dysfunction was also monitored by the full-field ERG. Retinal ganglion cell light responses were recorded using a 256-channel multielectrode array (MEA), and RGC subtypes were characterized by noncentered spike-triggered covariance (STC-NC) analysis. Single-unit extracellular recordings from superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SC) were performed to examine the receptive field (RF) properties of SC neurons. RESULTS: The elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) lasted 4 months in mice treated with a combination of laser photocoagulation and microbead injection. Progressive RGC loss and functional degeneration were confirmed in ocular hypertensive (OHT) mice. These mice had fewer visually responsive RGCs than controls. Using the STC-NC analysis, we classified RGCs into ON, OFF, and ON-OFF functional subtypes. We showed that ON and OFF RGCs were more susceptible to the IOP elevation than ON-OFF RGCs. Furthermore, SC neurons of OHT mice had weakened responses to visual stimulation and exhibited mismatched ON and OFF subfields and irregular RF structure. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that the functional degeneration of RGCs is subtype-dependent and that the ON and OFF pathways from the retina to the SC were disrupted. Our study provides a foundation to investigate the mechanisms underlying the progressive vision loss in experimental glaucoma.
Authors: Hui Chen, Yan Zhao, Mingna Liu, Liang Feng, Zhen Puyang, Ji Yi, Peiji Liang, Hao F. Zhang, Jianhua Cang, John B. Troy, Xiaorong Liu
Institutions: Northwestern University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $1,850
Funders: Glaucoma Research Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness, BrightFocus Foundation, Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Institutes of Health, Project 211, National Eye Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
OpenAlex ID: W2070165705