EARLY FUNCTIONAL & STRUCTURAL REPAIR IN MACAQUE STRABISMUS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The long term goal of this research is to reveal the neural mechanisms that explain each of the behavioral deficits of infantile strabismus (eye misalignment), and the time in development at which they occur. The specific goal of the project is to determine if eye realignment early in the critical period can repair the behavioral and structural deficits of the visual cortex that result from infantile strabismus. The present project is a subcontract to an R01 from Washington University (Dr. L. Tychsen, PI at Washington University, St. Louis MO). Newborn macaques are reared wearing Dr. Bradley's goggles that were designed for young monkeys, and which are fitted with prism lenses to induce optical strabismus. The strabismus is "repaired" at one of three postnatal ages: 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months; corresponding to "very early" (humans: 3 months of age), "average" (humans: 12 months of age), and "late" (humans: 2 years of age) strabismus surgery in children. In this preparation, repair of strabismus consists of the simple act of the removal of the prism goggles. This year we were on a no-cost extension as we re-submitted the grant. The competitive renewal was awarded last fall, and we are planning to begin the next phase of the research when the birthing season begins this spring.