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Review
. 2025 Jun 27:13:1590009.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1590009. eCollection 2025.

Understanding amblyopia from the perspective of neurovascular units: changes in the retina and brain

Lin Zhang  1 , Yaqi Zhao  1 , Xiaolu Shi  2 , Fan Wu  1 , Yi Shen  1
Affiliations
Review

Understanding amblyopia from the perspective of neurovascular units: changes in the retina and brain

Lin Zhang et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

As a developmental vision disorder, amblyopia has traditionally been studied with a focus on neurons. However, the neurovascular unit (NVU), a dynamic functional complex of neurons, blood vessels, and glial cells, has recently been implicated in amblyopia. This review systematically discusses the pathological changes and functional interactions of the NVU in retina and brain in amblyopia patients and experimental models, providing a new perspective for clinical intervention.

Keywords: amblyopia; brain; neural plasticity; neurovascular unit; retina.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

None
Summary diagram illustrating the formation of amblyopia, highlighting alterations in various cellular components of the neurovascular unit in the retina and brain, where blood flow and neurotransmitter regulation play a crucial role.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Hypothesized neurovascular unit alterations in the retina and brain of amblyopic individuals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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