A Positive Association Between Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thinning in Glaucoma

Abstract

This study showed a correlation between the mean RNFL thickness and the pupillary light response. A decrease in the number of ipRGCs is potentially related to the reduced RNFL thickness.

Image and Non-Image Forming Melanopsin Function in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

“…IpRGCs have demonstrated enhanced survival after optic nerve injury and transection in rats (Li et al 2008;Perez de Sevilla Muller, Sargoy, Rodriguez & Brecha 2014) suggesting high injury resistance (Cui, Ren, Sollars, Pickard & So 2015), although studies in humans show ipRGC dysfunction in patients with glaucoma (Feigl, Mattes, Thomas & Zele 2011b;Gracitelli et al 2014;Kankipati, Girkin & Gamlin 2011) and more recently in glaucoma suspects (Adhikari et al 2016b). The initial evidence of altered ipRGC function in AMD is shown in a pilot study by , although little is known about the effect of AMD on ipRGC function in various stages of the disease.…”

“…There is a high frequency of sleep disturbances in people with vision loss who retain light perception, becoming more severe and more common in people with total vision loss and no light perception (Tabandeh et al 1998). Sleep disorders have been linked to glaucoma (Agorastos et al 2013;Ayaki, Shiba, Negishi & Tsubota 2016;Jean-Louis, Zizi, Lazzaro & Wolintz 2008;Wang, Zhang, Ding & Wang 2013) which has further been associated with ipRGC dysfunction (Gracitelli et al 2016;Gracitelli et al 2014;Gracitelli et al 2015). Altered sleep duration has been demonstrated in AMD patients (Khurana et al 2016;Pérez-Canales et al 2016) although no link has been established with ipRGC function.…”

“…IpRGC function has been measured using the PIPR in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy (Feigl et al 2012b), glaucoma (Feigl et al 2011b;Gracitelli et al 2014;Kankipati et al 2011), retinitis pigmentosa Kawasaki, Crippa, Kardon, Leon & Hamel 2012;Markwell et al 2010), Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (Kawasaki, Herbst, Sander & Milea 2010) and retinal dystrophy (Vugler, Semo, Joseph & Jeffery 2008). In AMD, the PLR has been used as a measure of outer retinal function (Asakawa, Ishikawa, Ichibe & Shimizu 2014;Brozou et al 2009;Nakayama, Nowak, Ishikawa, Asakawa & Ichibe 2014;Rosli et al 2012;Sabeti et al 2013;Sabeti et al 2011) and demonstrates a longer latency to constriction and reduction in maximum pupil constriction amplitude.…”

“…Melanopsin expressing intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (ipRGCs) are dysfunctional in various retinal and optic nerve diseases (Feigl et al 2011b;Gracitelli et al 2014;Kankipati et al 2011;Kardon et al 2011), including agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) Maynard, Zele & Feigl 2015). Non-image forming functions of these cells include signalling irradiance information for synchronising the circadian body clock to the solar day thus mediating photoentrainment through projections to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) (Chen, Badea & Hattar 2011;Zele et al 2011) and sleep induction through activation of the ventrolateral preoptic area (Gooley, Lu, Fischer & Saper 2003;Hattar et al 2002).…”

“…IpRGCs also signal to the olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN) for mediation of the pupil light reflex (PLR) (Gamlin et al 2007;Kawasaki & Kardon 2007) and in particular the post-illumination pupil response (PIPR) (Adhikari et al 2016a;Gamlin et al 2007;Kawasaki & Kardon 2007;Markwell et al 2010), which is an emerging method for the direct assessment of ipRGC function in healthy and diseased eyes and in persons with chronobiological disorders Feigl et al 2012b;Gamlin et al 2007;Gracitelli et al 2016;Gracitelli et al 2014;Gracitelli et al 2015;Kawasaki & Kardon 2007;Markwell et al 2010;Maynard et al 2015). Two recent studies observed that sleep duration was altered in advanced AMD patients; sleep duration decreased in wet AMD and increased in dry AMD (Khurana et al 2016;Pérez-Canales et al 2016) but the effect of aberrant ipRGC signalling in AMD Maynard et al 2015) as a contributing factor was not evaluated.…”