Adaptive Optics Imager for Study of Pediatric Retinal Disorders

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的广泛，长期目标是扩展我们对儿童中心凹神经血管关系的理解，中心凹是视网膜中央区域，调节健康，成熟眼睛的精致敏锐度。 神经和血管成分参与了出生前和出生后正常中央凹的发育，儿童视网膜疾病可以改变发育过程中的神经血管关系。 为了验证关于中央凹的假设，我们的八名研究人员要求使用超高分辨率多模式自适应光学视网膜成像仪（“PSI视网膜成像仪”）。 该仪器能够以与传统组织学切片几乎相同的保真度非侵入性地在体内采集视网膜横截面图像。 它提供了显示核、丛状和感光层的图像，以及在选定视网膜深度并排的血管和神经元的正面图像。 在目前NIH的资助下，主要用户研究了有早产史（富尔顿，VanderVeen，Leviton）的儿科受试者的眼睛和灵长类动物模型（Troilo）中的屈光不正。 众所周知，早产儿视网膜病变（ROP），甚至早产单独，改变视网膜的神经和血管元素，但有更多的了解光感受器和中央凹周围血管在早产的受试者。 小用户的研究拓宽了我们对视网膜的理解。 尽管大鼠没有中央凹，但ROP大鼠模型提供了检查神经血管病理学基础生物学的机会（汉森）。 与遗传学（Irons）和耳鼻喉科（Kenna）的合作旨在研究患有遗传性疾病（包括白化病，Stargardt青少年黄斑变性和Usher综合征）的基因型受试者的中央凹，这些疾病与早产和ROP一样，会导致儿童期视力缺陷。 将眼动仪安装到PSI视网膜成像仪中对于从后者受试者以及具有眼球震颤和/或不稳定注视的ROP受试者获取未损坏的图像是必要的。 近视和其他显著屈光不正在患有这些疾病的受试者中很常见。 因此，对患有近视的健康个体的中央凹的研究提供了关键的参考数据，可以将来自患有视网膜病变的受试者的数据与之进行比较（Coletta）。 PSI视网膜成像仪将使我们能够获得定量信息，这将为中心凹疾病的神经血管成分提供新的见解。 我们相信，这一新的知识将导致更好地管理儿童视网膜患者。 公共卫生相关性：视网膜疾病的研究者要求超高分辨率视网膜成像仪（Physical Sciences Inc.）为进一步研究儿童中心凹的精细结构和中央视网膜中的神经血管关系提供了依据。 他们的目标是获得新的知识和见解的基础上，儿童失明和视力丧失所造成的疾病影响中央视网膜。 新的认识将有助于改善护理和治疗计划。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad, long term objective of this project is to extend our understanding of neuro-vascular relationships in the pediatric fovea, the area in the central retina that mediates the exquisite acuity in the healthy, mature eye. Neural and vascular elements participate in the development of the normal fovea both pre- and post-natally, and pediatric retinal disorders can alter the neuro-vascular relations during development. To test hypotheses about the fovea, our group of eight investigators requests an ultra-high resolution multimodal adaptive optics retinal imager ("PSI Retinal Imager"). This instrument enables non-invasive, in vivo acquisition of images of retinal cross-sections with nearly the same fidelity as traditional histological sections. It provides images showing nuclear, plexiform, and photoreceptor layers as well as en-face images of vasculature and neurons side-by-side at selected retinal depths. With current NIH funding, the major users investigate the eyes in pediatric subjects with a history of preterm birth (Fulton, VanderVeen, Leviton) and refractive errors in a primate model (Troilo). It is well established that retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and even premature birth alone, alters the neural and vascular elements of the retina, but there is much more to learn about the photoreceptors and the perifoveal vasculature in subjects born preterm. The minor users' research broadens our understanding of the retina. Although the rat does not have a fovea, rat models of ROP provide an opportunity to examine the fundamental biology of neuro-vascular pathologies (Hansen). Collaborations with Genetics (Irons) and Otorhinolaryngology (Kenna) are designed to investigate the foveas in genotyped subjects with heritable conditions including albinism, Stargardt juvenile macular degeneration, and Usher syndrome which, like preterm birth and ROP, cause visual deficits in childhood. Incorporating the eye tracker into the PSI Retinal Imager is necessary for acquiring uncorrupted images from the latter subjects, as well as those with ROP who have nystagmus and/or unsteady fixation. Myopia and other significant refractive errors are common in subjects with these disorders. Thus, studies of the fovea in healthy individuals with myopia provide critical reference data against which data from subjects with retinal pathologies may be compared (Coletta). The PSI Retinal Imager will allow us to obtain quantitative information that will provide new insights into the neuro-vascular components of foveal disorders. We believe that this new knowledge will lead to better management of pediatric retina patients. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Investigators of retinal disorders request an ultra-high resolution Retinal Imager (Physical Sciences Inc.) for further studies of the fine structure of the pediatric fovea and neurovascular relations in the central retina. Their objectives are to gain new knowledge and insights into the basis for childhood blindness and visual loss caused by disorders affecting the central retina. New understanding will contribute to plans for improved care and treatment.