Anatomy and Neuroscience - Research Publications

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Start date: 2012 × Type: Abstract × Author: Nguyen, Christine ×

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    Reversibility of retinal ganglion cell dysfunction due to chronic IOP elevation.
    Zhao, D ; Wong, VHY ; He, Z ; Nguyen, CTO ; Jobling, AI ; Fletcher, E ; Chinnery, H ; Jusuf, P ; Lim, JKH ; Vingrys, AJ ; Bui, BV (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, 2018-07-01)
    Purpose : To determine the duration of chronic IOP elevation beyond which ganglion cell function can no longer recover using the mouse circumlimbal suture model. Methods : IOP elevation was induced in anaesthetized (isoflurane) adult male C57BL6/J mice by attaching a circumlimbal suture (nylon, 10/0) around the equator of one eye, with the contralateral eye serving as a control. The suture was left in place for 8, 12 and 16 weeks (n=27, 23 and 27), respectively, and animals underwent electroretinography and optical coherence tomography at these time points. In two other groups, the suture was removed after 8 and 12 weeks (n=26 and 28), and the capacity for recovery assessed 4 weeks later. IOP was measured weekly (Tonolab). Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) function (or integrity) was assessed with the positive scotopic threshold response (pSTR) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness. Data (mean ± SEM) were compared using t-test (control vs. treatment) and one-way ANOVA (within groups). Results : IOP in sutured eyes was higher than control eyes (8wk: 17.1 ± 0.3 vs. 26.8 ± 0.6 mmHg, 12wk: 13.8 ± 0.3 vs. 19.5 ± 0.5 mmHg, 16wk: 17.1 ± 0.2 vs. 27.4 ± 0.6 mmHg; all P<0.001). After suture removal, IOP returned to levels comparable to control eyes (8+4wk: 16.9 ± 0.3 vs. 16.1 ± 0.3 mmHg; P=0.08, 12+4wk: 17.3 ± 0.2 vs. 17.1 ± 0.3 mmHg; P=0.5). With IOP elevation, RGC function declined to 75% ± 8% (8wk), 78% ± 7% (12wk) and 59% ± 4% (16wk, all P<0.001) of control eyes. RNFL thinning was also evident (8wk: 84% ± 4%, 12wk: 83% ± 5%; 16wk: 83% ± 3%; P<0.001) but no change in total retinal thickness was noted (P=0.33). Suture removal at week 8 facilitated full recovery of RGC function (97% ± 7%, P=0.9 vs. baseline) 4 weeks later. However, there was no recovery in RNFL thickness (87% ± 3%, P<0.001 vs. baseline). When the suture was removed at week 12, neither function (79% ± 9%, P<0.05) nor RNFL thickness recovered (89% ± 3%, P<0.01) 4 weeks later. Conclusions : RGC dysfunction can be recovered 4 weeks after an 8-week period of mild IOP elevation, but not after a 12-week period. Beyond 12 weeks, IOP reversal only served to prevent further functional decline. This identifies a critical chronic IOP duration that results in irreversible ganglion cell dysfunction. This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.
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    The effect of TrkB receptor knockdown on mouse retinal ganglion cell function and their response to acute mild intraocular pressure stress
    Wong, VHY ; Wang, A ; Nguyen, CTO ; Lim, JKH ; Nicholson, M ; Xiao, J ; Murray, S ; Bui, BV (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, 2019-07-01)
    Purpose : To examine the effect of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) receptor removal on basal retinal ganglion cell (RGC) function and recovery from acute intraocular pressure (IOP) stress following conditional deletion of neuronal-specific TrkB receptors in adult mice. Methods : Conditional TrkB receptor knockout (KO) from Thy-1 positive neurons was induced via daily tamoxifen injections (100 ul i.p. 75mg/kg, 5 days) in 3-month old Thy1-GFP CreERT2+/- TrkBfl/fl transgenic (TrkB KO n=12) and control CreERT2-/- TrkBfl/fl mice (n=12). Four weeks later, one eye was exposed to controlled IOP stress of 50mmHg for 30 minutes, achieved via anterior chamber cannulation (50 μm glass micropipette connected to height-adjustable Hanks balanced salt solution reservoir; 80:10mg/kg ketamine:xylazine). After 7 days of recovery, retinal function (full-field electroretinogram -5.53 – 2.07 log cd.s/m2) and structure (optical coherence tomography) were assessed in sedated mice. Following in vivo assays, eyes were enucleated for immunohistochemical assessment of TrkB receptor KO efficiency using confocal microscopy. Unpaired t-test and two-way ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. Results : TrkB receptor expression was largely confined to the ganglion cell layers and reduced by 81.3±5.8% in TrkB KO retinas compared to controls (P<0.05). Deletion of TrkB receptors significantly reduced RGC-mediated negative scotopic threshold response (nSTR -39.1±13.7% P<0.05, positive STR -38.0±12.1% P=0.05). No changes in photoreceptor (amplitude P>0.05, sensitivity P>0.05) and bipolar cell (amplitude P>0.05, sensitivity P>0.05) function. At day 7 post-IOP stress, photoreceptor and bipolar cell responses recovered back to baseline whilst RGC function did not (pSTR P<0.05; nSTR P<0.05). This effect was similar for both genotypes. TrkB KO did not affect total retinal, retinal nerve fibre, ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer thicknesses compared with control retina (P>0.05). Conclusions : Conditional removal of TrkB receptors in adult mice suggests that TrkB is critical for the ongoing maintenance of ganglion cell function. Specific changes in RGC morphology, synapse expression or intrinsic excitability associated with TrkB deficiency remain to be elucidated. It appears that TrkB receptors do not play an integral role in recovery from a single episode of mild IOP stress.