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The association of more than 140 genes with human photoreceptor degenerations, together with studies of animal models of these monogenic diseases, has provided great insight into their pathogenesis. Here we review the responses of the retina to photoreceptor mutations, including mechanisms of photoreceptor death. We discuss the roles of oxidative metabolism, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, metabolic stress, protein misfolding, and defects in ciliary proteins, as well as the responses of Müller glia, microglia, and the retinal vasculature. Finally, we report on potential pharmacologic and biologic therapies, the critical role of histopathology as a prerequisite to treatment, and the exciting promise of gene therapy in animal models and in phase 1 trials in humans.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-060909-153227 | DOI Listing |
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
September 2025
Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States.
Purpose: Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) paired with intravitreal injection of a viral vector coding for the calcium indicator GCaMP has enabled visualization of neuronal activity in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) at single cell resolution in the living eye. However, the inner limiting membrane (ILM) restricts viral transduction to the fovea in humans and non-human primates, hindering both therapeutic intervention and physiological study of the retina. To address this issue, we explored peeling the ILM before intravitreal injection to expand calcium imaging beyond the fovea in the living primate eye.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Neurosci
August 2025
Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States.
Objective: To assess the safety and tolerability of intravitreal injection of human retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) at multiple dose levels in adults with non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Design: A prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, Phase I/IIa safety study of RPCs in adults with RP ( = 28). Two patient cohorts were studied: Cohort 1: BCVA no better than 20/200 and no worse than Hand Motions, and Cohort 2: BCVA no better than 20/40 and no worse than 20/200).
J Neurosci
September 2025
Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
The purpose of this study was to investigate how Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling regulates glial phenotype, neuroprotection, and reprogramming of Müller glia (MG) into neurogenic MG-derived progenitor cells (MGPCs) in the adult male and female mouse retina. We found that S1P-related genes were dynamically regulated following retinal damage. (S1P receptor 1) and (sphingosine kinase 1) are expressed at low levels by resting MG and are rapidly upregulated following acute damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCereb Cortex
August 2025
Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
In the visual cortices, receptive fields (RFs) are arranged in a gradient from small sizes in the center of the visual field to the largest sizes at the periphery. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) mapping of population RFs, we investigated RF adaptation in V1, V2, and V3 in patients after long-term photoreceptor degeneration affecting the central (Stargardt disease [STGD]) and peripheral (Retinitis Pigmentosa [RP]) regions of the retina. In controls, we temporarily limited the visual field to the central 10° to model peripheral loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are highly compartmentalized neurons whose long axons serve as the sole connection between the eye and the brain. In both injury and disease, RGC degeneration occurs in a similarly compartmentalized manner, with distinct molecular and cellular responses in the axonal and somatodendritic regions. The goal of this study was to establish a microfluidic-based platform to investigate RGC compartmentalization in both health and disease states.
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