PURPOSE To determine whether abnormal elastin synthesis in the glaucomatous optic nerve head and lamina cribrosa is due to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) or secondary to axonal injury, monkeys with elevated IOP and with optic nerve transection were compared. METHODS Unilateral, chronic elevated IOP was induced in 11 rhesus monkeys by laser scarification of the trabecular meshwork. IOP wa...

Previous studies have demonstrated that glial cells in culture express several subtypes of functional adrenergic receptors. To determine if similar receptors are expressed by glia in vivo, we examined the expression of adrenergic receptors in the normal, crushed, and transected optic nerves of the rabbit and rat using quantitative receptor autoradiography. Additionally, we examined the expressi...

Unlike mammals, the fish optic nerve can regenerate after injury. So far, many growth or trophic factors have been shown as an axon-regenerating molecule. However, it is totally unknown what substance regulates or triggers the activity of these factors on axonal elongation. Therefore, we constructed a goldfish retina cDNA library prepared from the retina treated with optic nerve transection 5 d...

PURPOSE The authors studied retinal gene expression changes in rats after experimental intraocular pressure elevation and optic nerve transection to elucidate molecular mechanisms of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. METHODS Translimbal laser photocoagulation was used to induce unilateral IOP elevation in 41 albino Wistar rats. In 38 additional animals, unilateral transection of the optic ne...

ed from identified articles to determine ocular viability in each of the above three categories and for factors that improve ocular viability. For evidence of visual function, only articles in which the eye was completely enucleated and reimplanted were included. Articles in which the optic nerve was transected but the eye was not enucleated were excluded. We relied on each identified article’s...

PURPOSE High levels of glutamate can be toxic to retinal ganglion cells. Effective buffering of extracellular glutamate by retinal glutamate transporters is therefore important. This study was conducted to investigate whether glutamate transporter changes occur with two models of optic nerve injury in the rat. METHODS Glaucoma was induced in one eye of 35 adult Wistar rats by translimbal diod...

PURPOSE LINGO-1 is a functional member of the Nogo66 receptor (NgR1)/p75 and NgR1/TROY signaling complexes that prevent axonal regeneration through RhoA in the central nervous system. LINGO-1 also promotes cell death after neuronal injury and spinal cord injury. The authors sought to examine whether blocking LINGO-1 function with LINGO-1 antagonists promotes retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival...

We investigated the effects of neonatal optic nerve transection on cortical acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in hooded rats during postnatal development and following behavioral manipulation after weaning. AChE reaction product was quantified on digitized images of histochemically stained sections in layer IV of primary somatic sensory, primary visual and visual association cortex. Rats wit...

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Panax quinquefolius L. extract (PQE), Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), and Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE), in combination or alone, on the survival and regeneration of axotomized retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in an optic nerve transection model in adult hamsters. Unilateral transection of the optic nerve was performed to evaluate the effect...

PURPOSE To detect alterations in amacrine cells associated with retinal ganglion cell (RGC) depletion caused by experimental optic nerve transection and glaucoma. METHODS Intraocular pressure (IOP) was elevated unilaterally in 18 rats by translimbal trabecular laser treatment, and eyes were studied at 1 (n = 6), 2 (n = 5), and 3 (n = 7) months. Complete optic nerve transection was performed u...