NEI Research News

The eye is more than a window to the soul; it is a window to the brain.

UW Medicine scientists funded by NEI are discovering how the brain functions when figuring out shapes that are fully seen or partially covered. As the task becomes more difficult, a reasoning and sensory parts of the brain interact through signals.

Researchers at The Rockefeller University have begun to unravel the mystery of how the brain recognizes familiar faces. Their results are published in the journal Science.

Cells within an injured mouse eye can be coaxed into regenerating neurons and those new neurons appear to integrate themselves into the eye’s circuitry, new research shows.

Researchers have found that the brain makes new connections in those with early blindness (i.e. those born with or who have acquired profound blindness before the age of 3).

Six biological pigments called rhodopsins play well-established roles in light-sensing in the fruit fly eye. Three of them also have light-independent roles in temperature sensation.

A new report outlines steps to bringing future regenerative therapies for blinding diseases of the retina to patients. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye. When stimulated, retinal neurons send visual information to the brain.

A new report gives recommendations for regenerating retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), crucial neurons in the back of the eye that carry visual information to the brain.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, have discovered that in zebrafish, decreased levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cue the retina, the light-sensing tissue in the back of the eye, to produce stem cells

NEI-funded scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have discovered how a protein called α2δ4 establishes proper vision.