New Advances in Retinal Research: Basic, Clinical and Translational Approaches

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 3130

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Ophthalmology, Optometry, Ears Nose and Throat, and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, 30120 Murcia, Spain
2. Biosanitary Research Institute of Murcia-Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), C/ Campo, 12, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia, Spain
Interests: retina; retinal degeneration; retinal diseases; retinal ganglion cells; eyes; photoreceptor cells; eye diseases; taurine; contact lenses; dry eye; myopia control; optometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
2. Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: neurodegeneration; retina; Alzheimer’s; glaucoma; ALS; microglia; astrocytes; retinal ganglion cells; Müller cells; optical coherence tomography; optometry; ophthalmology

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Oftalmología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Virgen de la Arrixaca (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30120 Murcia, Spain
Interests: retinal ganglion cells; melanopsin; optic nerve; ocular hypertension; axotomy; photoreceptors; phototoxicity; microglia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The great value of the retina as a “genuine neural center” was recognized a century ago by the Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal. As part of the central nervous system, the retina is a window to the brain that provides an excellent and accessible tissue for detailed anatomical, physiological and pharmacological research. In addition, the easy in vivo observation of the retinal structure and its vascular network provides insight into the progress of pathologies that are not specific to the eye, such as neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Friedreich ataxia, and diabetes.

Retinal research is currently dealing with major causes of blindness, including some untreatable retinal diseases. Among them, retinal degenerative diseases represent one of the greatest challenges, as they lead to irreversible blindness. In recent years, researchers have proposed different therapeutic options that include therapies aimed at halting or slowing retinal degeneration such as neurotrophic factors; antiapoptotic, antioxidant or anti-inflammatory drugs; and therapies aimed at photoreceptor replacement such as stem-cell therapies and photoreceptor or retinal prosthetic transplants. However, there is currently no existing effective treatment capable of preventing, restoring or reversing retinal degeneration or, ultimately, preventing or reversing the devastating effects of retinal remodeling following photoreceptor loss. Furthermore, functional studies could, to a certain extent, allow us to predict or anticipate irreversible damage such as electroretinographic or visual-field defects in glaucoma patients with damage to the retinal ganglion cell axons that form the optic nerve. All of the above make retinal research an exciting field of study that deserves our full attention.

The present Special Issue, edited by Dr. García-Ayuso, Dr. Salobrar-García and Dr. Valiente-Soriano, will focus on the latest advances in retinal research, including basic, translational and clinical sciences, with the purpose of expanding the therapeutic perspective of retinal degeneration as well as the impact that certain systemic diseases can have on the retina.

Authors are cordially invited to contribute original research papers or reviews to this Special Issue of Life.

Dr. Diego García-Ayuso
Dr. Elena Salobrar-García
Dr. Francisco Javier Valiente-Soriano
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Photoreceptor degeneration
  • Inherited retinal degeneration
  • Glaucoma
  • Retinal ganglion cells
  • Melanopsin
  • Phototoxicity
  • Alzheimer´s disease
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Neuroprotection
  • Stem cells

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 5632 KiB  
Article
Kinetics of Heterogeneous Background in Stargardt’s Disease over Time
by Eduardo Rodríguez-Bocanegra, Marc Biarnés, Míriam Garcia, Lucía Lee Ferraro, Manuel Dominik Fischer and Jordi Monés
Life 2022, 12(3), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12030381 - 6 Mar 2022
Viewed by 2224
Abstract
Stargardt’s disease (STGD1) is caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene. Different lesions characterised by decreased autofluorescence levels are found in fundus autofluorescence (FAF) from STGD1 patients and could be used as outcome indicators for disease progression. We investigated the fate of foci [...] Read more.
Stargardt’s disease (STGD1) is caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene. Different lesions characterised by decreased autofluorescence levels are found in fundus autofluorescence (FAF) from STGD1 patients and could be used as outcome indicators for disease progression. We investigated the fate of foci with reduced autofluorescence (FRA) within the heterogeneous background of STGD1 patients using FAF imaging. Genetically confirmed STGD1 patients presenting heterogeneous background autofluorescence on high-quality FAF images at a minimum of two visits at least 12 months apart were chosen. A grid centred on the fovea was used to define five different zones. Within each zone, five FRA were randomly selected for each eye. The eccentricity of foci was determined at different time points for each patient. Analysis of 175 randomly chosen FRA showed consistent centrifugal displacement over time, most notably in eyes showing areas with definitely decreased autofluorescence. Interestingly, FRA did not leave an area of hypo-autofluorescence on FAF in locations where they were previously located. These findings may help to better understand STGD1 progression, improve FAF interpretation, and shed light on the nature of heterogeneous background. Full article
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