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NEI Research News

Thanks to the work of NEI scientists and grantees, we’re constantly learning new information about the causes and treatment of vision disorders. Get the latest updates about their work — along with other news about NEI.

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Grantee News

Brain "rewires" itself to enhance other senses in blind people

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).
Fly head

New light sensing molecule discovered in the fruit fly brain

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.
Artist's rendering of photoreceptor signaling a retinal ganglion cell

Moving future regenerative therapies for blinding eye diseases to the clinic

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.
Eye

Helping the retina regenerate

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.
Sequence of five images, spanning 28 days, shows how regeneration happens in the zebrafish retina. Rods are shown in green, regenerating cells are shown in red, and all other cells are labeled with blue. As the rods die, regenerating cells increase and replace the lost rods.

NIH-funded study helps explain how zebrafish recover from blinding injuries

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
Grantee News

Fighting Blindness: TSRI Scientists Bring a Key Protein into Focus

NEI-funded scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have discovered how a protein called α2δ4 establishes proper vision.
Two women panelists look at male colleague as he speaks

Reconnecting Eye to Brain

Michael Crair, Yale University, and Carol Mason, Columbia University, have co-authored a report published online today in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Illuminated neuron projection from visual cortext

Visual cortex plays role in plasticity of eye movement reflex

By peering into the eyes of mice and tracking their ocular movements, researchers made an unexpected discovery: the visual cortex – a region of the brain known to process sensory information – plays a key role...
Artist’s rendering of neural activity in the retina. Light that enters the eye activates rod and cone photoreceptors, which then activates retinal ganglion cells. A signal travels to the brain via the retinal ganglion cell axons. Photo credit: National Eye Institute

Six teams seek to identify biological factors that influence neural regeneration

The National Institutes of Health will fund six projects to identify biological factors that affect neural regeneration in the retina.
Rods and Cones image

NIH Vision Scientists Test Theory of How Rods in our Retina Originated

Retinas from our earliest vertebrate ancestors had cone-like photoreceptors, presumably allowing them to see in daylight, but little ability to see at night.

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