Biology subjects

Schuman, J. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Schuman, J. S..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Global and network functional connectivity of nucleus basalis of Meynert is strengthened in blind individuals

Plasticity in the brain is differentially affected by age of blindness onset. One possible, but not yet identified mechanism is that the cholinergic signals originating from the nucleus basalis of Meynert may underlie differential extent of plasticity in early and late blind individuals. This prospect is based on the fact that the nucleus basalis of Meynert modulates cortical processes such as plasticity and sensory encoding and that the degree of cross-modal plasticity varies depending on the age of blindness onset. However, this question yet remains largely unclear. Here, we tested whether the early and late blind individuals develop dissociable plasticity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert using multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging. We found the relatively preserved volumetric size and cerebrovascular reactivity, but significant disruption in the white matter integrity of the nucleus basalis of Meynert in both early and late blind individuals. Critically, despite its reduction in the white matter integrity, the nucleus basalis of Meynert of early blind individuals presented greater global and network functional connectivity including visual, language, and default-mode networks. Such changes in the functional connectivity were not observed in the late-blind individuals. Further, less duration of the visual experience was associated with greater global and network functional connectivity. These results indicate that the nucleus basalis of Meynert is differentially involved in the plasticity of early and late blind individuals - a similar amount of reduction in microstructural integrity in early and late blind individuals, but stronger and more widespread functional connectivity of the NBM in the early blind individuals. Our findings suggest that the nucleus basalis of Meynert may develop greater cholinergic influence on the cortex of early blind individuals. Such change may explain why early blind individuals present stronger and more widespread cross-modal plasticity during non-visual tasks compared to late blind individuals.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Stem cell-free therapy for glaucoma to preserve vision

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness with trabecular meshwork (TM) dysfunction resulting in elevated intraocular pressure and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) damage leading to vision loss. In this study, we discovered that secretome, derived from human TM stem cells, via minimal invasive periocular injection, can reduce intraocular pressure, restore TM homeostasis, protect RGC, and restore RGC function in both steroid-induced and genetic myocilin mutant mouse models of glaucoma. The secretome upregulated the COX2-PGE2 axis via mitochondrial TMEM177 and led to activation of endogenous stem cells and TM regeneration. Inhibition of COX2 abolished the protective effect of secretome on TM cells. Secretome treatment also enhanced RGC survival and function. Proteomic analysis revealed that the secretome is enriched with proteins involved in extracellular matrix modulation leading to the remodeling of TM to restore homeostasis. This study highlights the feasibility of stem cell-free therapy for glaucoma with minimal invasive administration and the involvement of multiple novel pathways for a cumulative regenerative effect on the TM to protect RGC. Brief summaryThis study describes a cell-free treatment using stem cell secretome in two animal models of glaucoma and explores the potential mechanisms

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Adaptive spectroscopic visible-light optical coherence tomography for human retinal oximetry

Alterations in the retinal oxygen saturation (sO2) and oxygen consumption are associated with nearly all blinding diseases. A technology that can accurately measure retinal sO2 has the potential to improve ophthalmology care significantly. Recently, visible-light optical coherence tomography (vis-OCT) showed great promise for noninvasive, depth-resolved measurement of retinal sO2 as well as ultra-high resolution anatomical imaging. We discovered that spectral contaminants (SC), if not correctly removed, could lead to incorrect vis-OCT sO2 measurements. There are two main types of SCs associated with vis-OCT systems and eye conditions, respectively. Their negative influence on sO2 accuracy is amplified in human eyes due to stringent laser power requirements, eye motions, and varying eye anatomies. We developed an adaptive spectroscopic vis-OCT (Ads-vis-OCT) method to iteratively remove both types of SCs. We validated Ads-vis-OCT in ex vivo bovine blood samples against a blood-gas analyzer. We further validated Ads-vis-OCT in 125 unique retinal vessels from 18 healthy subjects against pulse-oximeter readings, setting the stage for clinical adoption of vis-OCT.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2021

In Vivo Sublayer Analysis Of Human Retinal Inner Plexiform Layer Obtained By Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography

PurposeGrowing evidence suggests, in glaucoma, the dendritic degeneration of subpopulation of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) may precede RGCs soma death. Since different RGCs synapse in different IPL sublayers, visualization of the lamellar structure of the IPL could enable both clinical and fundamental advances in glaucoma understanding and management. In this pilot study, we investigated whether visible-light optical coherence tomography (vis-OCT) could detect the difference in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) sublayers thicknesses between small cohorts of healthy and glaucomatous subjects. MethodWe investigated vis-OCT retinal images from nine healthy and five glaucomatous subjects. Four of the healthy subjects were scanned three times each in two separate visits, and five healthy and five glaucoma subjects were scanned three times during a single visit. Raster speckle-reduction scans (3 by 3 by 1.2 mm^3: horizontal; vertical; axial directions with 8192x8x1024 samplings, respectively) of the superior macular were acquired. IPL sublayers were then manually segmented using averaged A-line profiles. ResultsThe mean ages of glaucoma and healthy subjects are 59.6 +/- 13.4 and 45.4 +/- 14.4 years (p =0.02, Wilcoxon rank-sum test), respectively. The visual field mean deviation (MD) are -26.4 to -7.7 dB in glaucoma patient and -1.6 to 1.1 dB in healthy subjects (p =0.002). The mean circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses are 59.6 +/- 9.1 m in glaucoma and 99.2 +/- 16.2 m in healthy subjects (p=0.004). Median coefficients of variation (CVs) of intra-session repeatability for the entire IPL and three sublayers are 3.1%, 5.6%, 6.9%, and 5.6% in healthy subjects and 1.8%, 6.0%, 7.7%, and 6.2% in glaucoma patients, respectively. The mean entire IPL thicknesses are 36.2 +/- 1.5 m in glaucomatous and 40.1 +/- 1.7 micrometer in healthy eyes (p=0.003, Mixed-effects model). We found that the middle sublayer thickness was responsible for the majority of the difference (14.2 +/- 1.8 m in glaucomatous and 17.5 +/- 1.4 in healthy eyes, p<0.01). ConclusionsIPL sublayer analysis revealed that the middle sublayer could be responsible for the majority of IPL thinning in glaucoma. Vis-OCT quantified IPL sublayers with good repeatability in both glaucoma and healthy subjects. Visualization of the IPL sublayers may enable the investigation of lamella-specific changes in the IPL in glaucoma and may help elucidate the response of different types of RGCs to the disease.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2020

Interplay between intraocular and intracranial pressure effects on the optic nerve head in vivo

Intracranial pressure (ICP) has been proposed to play an important role in the sensitivity to intraocular pressure (IOP) and susceptibility to glaucoma. However, the in vivo effects of simultaneous, controlled, acute variations in ICP and IOP have not been directly measured. We quantified the deformations of the anterior lamina cribrosa (ALC) and scleral canal at Bruchs membrane opening (BMO) under acute elevation of IOP and/or ICP. Four eyes of three monkeys were imaged in vivo with OCT under four pressure conditions: IOP and ICP either at baseline or elevated. The BMO and ALC were reconstructed from manual delineations. From these, we determined canal area at the BMO (BMO area), BMO aspect ratio and planarity, and ALC median depth relative to the BMO plane. To better account for the pressure effects on the imaging, we also measured ALC visibility as a percent of the BMO area. Further, ALC depths were analyzed only in regions where the ALC was visible in all pressure conditions. Bootstrap sampling was used to obtain mean estimates and confidence intervals, which were then used to test for significant effects of IOP and ICP, independently and in interaction. Response to pressure manipulation was highly individualized between eyes, with significant changes detected in a majority of the parameters. Significant interactions between ICP and IOP occurred in all measures, except ALC visibility. On average, ICP elevation expanded BMO area by 0.17mm2 at baseline IOP, and contracted BMO area by 0.02 mm2 at high IOP. ICP elevation decreased ALC depth by 10m at baseline IOP, but increased depth by 7 m at high IOP. ALC visibility decreased as ICP increased, both at baseline (-10%) and high IOP (-17%). IOP elevation expanded BMO area by 0.04 mm2 at baseline ICP, and contracted BMO area by 0.09 mm2 at high ICP. On average, IOP elevation caused the ALC to displace 3.3 m anteriorly at baseline ICP, and 22 m posteriorly at high ICP. ALC visibility improved as IOP increased, both at baseline (5%) and high ICP (8%). In summary, changing IOP or ICP significantly deformed both the scleral canal and the lamina of the monkey ONH, regardless of the other pressure level. There were significant interactions between the effects of IOP and those of ICP on LC depth, BMO area, aspect ratio and planarity. On most eyes, elevating both pressures by the same amount did not cancel out the effects. Altogether our results show that ICP affects sensitivity to IOP, and thus that it can potentially also affect susceptibility to glaucoma. Research Highlights- In vivo ONH deformations caused by acute, controlled, simultaneous changes in IOP and/or ICP can be directly visualized and measured in the monkey eye using OCT. - Acute changes of either IOP or ICP significantly deformed both the scleral canal and the lamina cribrosa, regardless of the other pressure level. - Pressures interacted, meaning that the effects of one pressure depended significantly on the level of the other pressure. - Elevating both pressures did not cancel out the effects of one of them being elevated. - Our results show that ICP affects sensitivity to IOP, and thus that it can potentially also affect susceptibility to glaucoma.

bioengineering↗