Inherited Retinal Dystrophy: Chronic Proinflammatory Signaling Accelerates the Rate of Degeneration скачать в хорошем качестве

Inherited Retinal Dystrophy: Chronic Proinflammatory Signaling Accelerates the Rate of Degeneration

The BXD32 mouse is a model of polygenic inheritance retinal dystrophy (IRD). IRD is a set of congenital heterogenous blinding diseases caused by the death of rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina. Patients with IRDs can begin losing sight as early as childhood and can be completely blind by adolescence. They may also begin losing sight as an adult and blind in older age. The age of onset and rate of degeneration varies with the gene that is mutated and other genetic and environmental factors. A commonality amongst these diseases is the presence of overactive inflammatory cells and pathways. In this study, using various methods including optomotor behavioral measurements with Striatech’s OptoDrum, electroretinography, optical coherence tomography, funduscopy, and immunohistochemistry, we have shown that this chronically elevated proinflammatory environment is not only a byproduct of the degenerative disease, but an actual driver of the disease itself.