This application proposes to study the development of normal human rod function. The rods transduce light into an electrical signal and so initiate vision. Immaturities of rod phototransduction processes may explain more of the immaturities of human scotopic vision than previously recognized. The applicant discusses evidence that, compared to adults', infants' rod outer segments are shorter and the concentration of rhodopsin is lower in the discs of the outer segment. The evidence leads to predictions that both the saturated (maximum) amplitude and amplification (or gain) of the rod photoresponse will increase with development, but the rate of developmental increase will be slower for amplification. Additionally, the delayed anatomic maturation of rods at the posterior pole, an area amounting to 5% to 10% of the total retinal area, is considered, and predicted to account for differential courses of development of posterior pole vs peripheral sensitivities; posterior pole sensitivity is expected to increase more slowly. Studies of electroretinographic (ERG) a-waves and psychophysical thresholds in young infants and adult control subjects, and rhodopsin will be used to test these hypotheses. Post receptoral components (b-wave; scotopic threshold response) of the ERG will evaluate the development of the flow of rod mediated information across the retina. These experiments will generate new knowledge that will advance our understanding of the development of normal, human visual capacities. When this information is applied to future pediatric patients, it is expected to disclose mechanisms of rod cell disease and so contribute to the design of novel therapeutic strategies.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY010597-02
Application #
2164588
Study Section
Visual Sciences C Study Section (VISC)
Project Start
1994-03-01
Project End
1997-02-28
Budget Start
1995-03-01
Budget End
1996-02-29
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Altschwager, Pablo; Moskowitz, Anne; Fulton, Anne B et al. (2017) Multifocal ERG Responses in Subjects With a History of Preterm Birth. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 58:2603-2608
Hansen, Ronald M; Moskowitz, Anne; Akula, James D et al. (2017) The neural retina in retinopathy of prematurity. Prog Retin Eye Res 56:32-57
Ramamirtham, Ramkumar; Akula, James D; Soni, Garima et al. (2016) Extrafoveal Cone Packing in Eyes With a History of Retinopathy of Prematurity. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 57:467-75
Moskowitz, Anne; Hansen, Ronald M; Fulton, Anne B (2016) Retinal, visual, and refractive development in retinopathy of prematurity. Eye Brain 8:103-111
Hansen, Ronald M; Moskowitz, Anne; Bush, Jennifer N et al. (2016) Increment Threshold Functions in Retinopathy of Prematurity. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 57:2421-7
Hansen, Ronald M; Moskowitz, Anne; Tavormina, Jena L et al. (2015) Temporal summation in children with a history of retinopathy of prematurity. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 56:914-7
Munro, Robert J; Fulton, Anne B; Chui, Toco Y P et al. (2015) Eye growth in term- and preterm-born eyes modeled from magnetic resonance images. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 56:3121-31
Hansen, Ronald M; Tavormina, Jena L; Moskowitz, Anne et al. (2014) Effect of retinopathy of prematurity on scotopic spatial summation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 55:3311-3
Raghuram, Aparna; Hansen, Ronald M; Moskowitz, Anne et al. (2013) Photoreceptor and postreceptor responses in congenital stationary night blindness. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 54:4648-58
Hammer, Daniel X; Ferguson, R Daniel; Mujat, Mircea et al. (2012) Multimodal adaptive optics retinal imager: design and performance. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 29:2598-607

Showing the most recent 10 out of 49 publications