Twenty-nine investigators propose a renewal of core program to enhance individual and collaborative research productivity and excellence through the development of new research and clinical instruments, increased opportunity for interaction among research groups, performance of research and publication of results. Investigations include: electrophysiologic and biochemical determination of the mechanism of visual excitation and adaptation in rods and cones; determination of neural net connections, neurotransmitters and function in the retina using electron microscopy and microassay techniques; determination of the mechanism of ionic flux and volume regulation in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and ciliary process and the identity and role of neuropeptide transmitters in control of aqueous humor secretion and development of myopia; characterization of determinants of the ocular inflammatory and immune response; determination of synthetic rates of retinal, vascular endothelial and RPE lipids, proteolipids and glycosaminoglycans in normals, diabetics and retinal dystrophy; relationship of type of crystallin synthesized to regeneration and clarity of the lens; ocular effects of diabetes and hypertension; layer by layer identification of retinal 02 utilization and its modulation by physiologic stimulation; determination of regional retinal blood flow, 02 delivery and tissue 02 saturation and their modulation vs. stage of diabetes and diabetic control; nature of visual cortical receptive field analysis of visual image features; anatomical connections and neurotransmission between substantia nigra, colliculus and visual cortex that mediate normal vision, ocular following, lesion induced blindness and release of blindness; the role of polarized light contrast in vision; the relative roles played by cone pigment (genetic variation) and neural processing in color vision; and the genetic mapping of a number of ocular diseases. The research requires development of equipment for, specialized microelectrode recording of oxygen, voltage, current and redox reactions, microelectrode injections, laser Doppler velocimetry, computer synchronized stimulation recording, variation and analysis of biochemical, electrical and behavioral data, together with the utilization of many advanced technological tools such as serial montage electron microscopy, uv-visible spectroscopy, modern imaging analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and others.
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