HUMAN CONE PIGMENT KINETICS

描述(改编自申请者摘要)：长期目标是 了解正常人视觉的初始阶段，以及他们的 视网膜色素上皮(RPE)及其外层的疾病改变 视网膜。为了实现这一点，将使用光学测量来研究 人类视觉的初始阶段：体内对光的捕捉和吸收 由人类锥体提供的能量。锥体收集和引导光线的能力 是由它们的直径、形状和索引的差异控制的 光感受器和细胞外基质之间的折射。在……里面 相比之下，锥体吸收光线的能力是由 光致变色剂在外节中的量，以及 圆锥体，以引导外部段内的光子。为了澄清 锥体结构与光捕获的相互作用及锥体内的变化 将随着波长的变化来研究波导特性， 视网膜位置和年龄。这些测量结果将与活体进行比较 使用散斑干涉法测量锥体间距。中的更改 光收集和引导功能应表明严重的病理， 包括大量相邻光感受器的死亡。这个 老年性痴呆患者视锥细胞物理性质的变化 黄斑变性(AMD)将被检查以确定何时和哪种类型 光感受器的变化发生在视力丧失之前。这些变化 将使用光感受器排列反射仪进行测量。 视锥细胞向瞳孔的排列是一个活跃的过程，但 对准的刺激因素尚不清楚。光学质量的变化 眼睛穿过瞳孔的光学性能将与眼睛的对准进行比较 测试视锥细胞与瞳孔对齐的假设 最大化图像的光学质量。它将被测试是否 视网膜问题解决后视锥细胞的重新排列由 眼睛的光学质量。 在球果中维持完整的感光色素是一种活跃的 过程，需要视锥细胞的功能，视网膜色素 上皮细胞和脉络膜营养物质的流动。所有这些都是 受老化和老年性黄斑变性的影响。使用低相干度干涉测量， 感光颜料的体内漂白和再生动力学将是 量过了。这应该有助于理解不仅仅是正常的漂白 和再生，但也是视网膜疾病和 最终，它是否可以通过治疗逆转。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's abstract): The long-term goal is to understand the initial stages of vision in normal humans, as well as their alteration by diseases of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and outer retina. To achieve this, optical measurements will be used to study the initial stages of human vision: the in vivo capture and absorption of light energy by human cones. The ability of the cones to collect and guide light is controlled by their diameter, shape, and the difference in the index of refraction between the photoreceptors and the extracellular matrix. In contrast, the ability of the cones to absorb light is controlled by the amount of the photopigment in the outer segment, and the ability of the cones to guide the photons within the outer segments. To elucidate the interaction between cone structure and light capture, the variation in cone waveguide properties will be investigated with changes in wavelength, retinal location, and age. These measurements will be compared to in vivo measurements of cone spacing made using speckle interferometry. Changes in light collection and guiding functions should indicate severe pathology, including death of significant numbers of adjacent photoreceptors. The changes in the physical properties of the cones of patients with age-related macular degeneraion (AMD) will be examined to determine when and what sort of changes to the photoreceptors occur before vision is lost. These changes will be measured using photoreceptor alignment reflectometry. The alignment of the cones towards the pupil is an active process, yet the stimulus for alignment is not known. The variation in optical quality of the eyes' optics across the pupil will be compared with the alignment of the cones to test the hypothesis that the cones align towards the pupil to maximize the optical quality of the image. It will be tested whether the realignment of cones after resolution of retinal problems is guided by the optical quality of the eye. Maintaining the full complement of photopigment in the cones is an active process, requiring the function of the cones, the retinal pigment epithelium, and the flow of nutrients from the choroid. All of these are impacted by aging and also by AMD. Using low coherence interferometry, the in vivo bleaching and regeneration kinetics of the photopigments will be measured. This should facilitate understanding not only normal bleaching and regeneration, but also what goes wrong in retinal disease and eventually, whether it can be reversed by treatment.