PURPOSE To investigate the relationship between ganglion cell losses and visual field defects caused by glaucoma. METHODS Behavioral perimetry and histology data were obtained from 10 rhesus monkeys with unilateral experimental glaucoma that was induced by argon laser treatments to their trabecular meshwork. After significant visual field defects had developed, the retinas were collected for ...

  Ganglion cysts are the most common wrist tumors, and 60 -70% originate dorsally from the scapholunate interval.  Ossification of these lesions is exceedingly rare, with only one such lesion located in the finger reported in the literature. We present a case of an ossified dorsal wrist ganglion in a 68-year-old woman.  

ultrasound guidance for pain interventions is becoming increasing recognized as a useful imaging tool. one of the common interventions where it is gaining wider acceptance is during the performance of a stellate ganglion block. the following is a unique report where intravascular and neuronal injury occurred during the performance of an ultrasound guided stellate ganglion block followed by dysp...

During vertebrate neurogenesis, multiple extracellular signals influence progenitor cell fate choices. The process by which uncommitted progenitor cells interpret and integrate signals is not well understood. We demonstrate here that in the avascular chicken retina, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secreted by postmitotic neurons acts through the FLK1 receptor present on progenitor cel...

Optic nerve transection results in the apoptotic cell death of the majority of retinal ganglion cells by 14 days. The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) enhances survival of retinal ganglion cells. In addition, the small heat shock protein Hsp27, with its anti-apoptotic effects, may be important for neuron survival following axotomy or trophic factor withdrawal. We recently r...

We have investigated the effects of prolonged systemic injections of nerve growth factor (NGF) and its antiserum on the survival and morphology of sympathetic ganglion cells in adult mice. Using intracellular injections of Lucifer yellow in lightly fixed superior cervical ganglia, we show that total dendritic lengths of ganglion cells are increased 29% after 2 weeks of NGF treatment. The increa...

The three members of the Brn-3 family of POU domain transcription factors are found in highly restricted sets of central nervous system neurons. Within the retina, these factors are present only within subsets of ganglion cells. We show here that in the developing mouse retina, Brn-3b protein is first observed in presumptive ganglion cell precursors as they begin to migrate from the zone of div...

It is generally accepted that healthy cells degrade their own mitochondria. Here, we report that retinal ganglion cell axons of WT mice shed mitochondria at the optic nerve head (ONH), and that these mitochondria are internalized and degraded by adjacent astrocytes. EM demonstrates that mitochondria are shed through formation of large protrusions that originate from otherwise healthy axons. A v...

A retinal ganglion cell receptive field is made up of an excitatory center and an inhibitory surround. The surround has two components: one driven by horizontal cells at the first synaptic layer and one driven by amacrine cells at the second synaptic layer. Here we characterized how amacrine cells inhibit the center response of on- and off-center Y-type ganglion cells in the in vitro guinea pig...

RaxL is a paired-like homeobox gene involved in vertebrate eye morphogenesis. We examined RaxL protein expression patterns during chick retinal development in combination with ganglion cell markers including the RA4 antigen, cBrn-3, Islet-1 and neuronal type III beta-tubulin. Double-immunostaining demonstrated that downregulation of RaxL protein correlates with upregulation of ganglion cell mar...