The retinal explant as a model to investigate neuronal pathology and neuroprotective strategies

Binley, Kate E. 2016. The retinal explant as a model to investigate neuronal pathology and neuroprotective strategies. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Despite the association of neuronal cell loss with a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders, the mechanisms leading to this cell death remain poorly understood. In this thesis I have investigated these mechanisms and tested whether they represent viable targets for therapeutic intervention. The adult mouse retinal explant is a popular model of axotomy-induced neuronal degeneration but has been limited by the lack of morphometric data. Since dendritic pruning is well-evidenced to precede cell loss in neurodegenerative diseases, including glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease, I investigated whether the quantification of dendritic morphology of retinal ganglion cells in the retinal explant could be used as a more sensitive measure of neuronal health after axotomy. I report here that retinal ganglion cell dendrite loss precedes cell loss by at least 7 days and that this retraction is substantially retarded following treatment with brain-derived neurotrophic factor applied at the time of explantation. Perhaps most importantly, I demonstrate for the first time in this model that delayed application of brain-derived neurotrophic factor significantly protects against dendritic retraction of retinal ganglion cells. The work outlined in this thesis thus supports the targeting of dendritic outgrowth and/or synaptic connectivity for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Optometry and Vision Sciences
Subjects:	R Medicine > RE Ophthalmology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	mouse; retinal explant; neuronal degeneration; brain-derived neurotrophic factor
Funders:	BBSRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	26 September 2016
Last Modified:	29 Nov 2021 11:24
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/94882

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