Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jan;51(1):327-34.
doi: 10.1167/iovs.09-3740. Epub 2009 Aug 26.

Combined application of BDNF to the eye and brain enhances ganglion cell survival and function in the cat after optic nerve injury

Arthur J Weber  1 , Suresh Viswanáthan, Chidambaram Ramanathan, Christine D Harman
Affiliations

Combined application of BDNF to the eye and brain enhances ganglion cell survival and function in the cat after optic nerve injury

Arthur J Weber et al. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether application of BDNF to the eye and brain provides a greater level of neuroprotection after optic nerve injury than treatment of the eye alone.

Methods: Retinal ganglion cell survival and pattern electroretinographic responses were compared in normal cat eyes and in eyes that received (1) a mild nerve crush and no treatment, (2) a single intravitreal injection of BDNF at the time of the nerve injury, or (3) intravitreal treatment combined with 1 to 2 weeks of continuous delivery of BDNF to the visual cortex, bilaterally.

Results: Relative to no treatment, administration of BDNF to the eye alone resulted in a significant increase in ganglion cell survival at both 1 and 2 weeks after nerve crush (1 week, 79% vs. 55%; 2 weeks, 60% vs. 31%). Combined treatment of the eye and visual cortex resulted in a modest additional increase (17%) in ganglion cell survival in the 1-week eyes, a further significant increase (55%) in the 2-week eyes, and ganglion cell survival levels for both that were comparable to normal (92%-93% survival). Pattern ERG responses for all the treated eyes were comparable to normal at 1 week after injury; however, at 2 weeks, only the responses of eyes receiving the combined BDNF treatment remained so.

Conclusions: Although treatment of the eye alone with BDNF has a significant impact on ganglion cell survival after optic nerve injury, combined treatment of the eye and brain may represent an even more effective approach and should be considered in the development of future optic neuropathy-related neuroprotection strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Morphologic comparison of the retinas and optic nerves from normal cats, cats that received an optic nerve crush and no treatment (NT), or those that received either a single intravitreal injection of BDNF (eye), or the injection combined with 1 or 2 weeks of continuous infusion of BDNF into the visual cortex (eye+cortex).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of mean ganglion cell survival under each experimental condition tested. Solid line: the mean number of cells counted in the normal fellow eyes. Mean ± SE (NT versus N: P < 0.001; Eye versus NT: P < 0.05; Eye+Ctx versus Eye: 1 week, NS; 2 week, P < 0.05; Eye+Ctx versus N: P > 0.05).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Size distributions of ganglion cells in the experimental (top) vs. normal fellow (bottom) eyes as a percentage of the total number of ganglion cells in the sample region.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
PERG responses to visual stimuli of different spatial frequencies under each experimental condition. At 1 week, treatment of both the eye and eye+cortex is comparable to normal (A), whereas after a 2-week survival period, only the responses from animals receiving treatment of both the eye and cortex are normal (B). Mean ± SE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kalil RE. Removal of visual cortex in the cat: effects on the morphological development of the retino-geniculo-cortical pathway. In: Stone J, Dreher B, Rapaport D. eds. Development of Visual Pathways in Mammals: Proceedings of a satellite symposium of the XXIX International Congress of the Union of Physiological Sciences, Sydney, Australia, August 24–27, 1983 New York: Alan R. Liss; 1984: 257–274
    1. Pearson HE, Labar DR, Payne BR, Cornwell P, Aggarwal N. Transneuronal retrograde degeneration in the cat retina following neonatal ablation of visual cortex. Brain Res 1981; 212: 470–475 - PubMed
    1. Weber AJ, Kalil RE, Stanford LR. Morphology of single, physiologically identified Y retinogeniculate axons in the cat following damage to visual cortex at birth. J Comp Neurol 1989; 289: 446–455 - PubMed
    1. Pearson HE, Sonstein WJ, Stoffler DJ. Selectivity of kainic acid as a neurotoxin within the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat: a model for transneuronal retrograde degeneration. J Neurocytol 1991; 20: 376–386 - PubMed
    1. Pearson HE, Stoffler DJ. Retinal ganglion cell degeneration following loss of postsynaptic target neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the adult cat. Exp Neurol 1992; 116: 163–171 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances