Modulating retinal glutamate transport in health and disease

当血液供应减少时，可能会对视网膜和大脑等神经组织造成损害。这可能是由于血栓、中风或眼病、青光眼造成的。这些情况往往会导致失明。神经元损伤很大程度上是由于谷氨酸的过量释放。谷氨酸是一种神经用来相互交流的化学物质(神经递质)，但当浓度较高时，它对神经是有毒的。这个项目将研究调节视网膜中谷氨酸浓度的机制。如果这些机制能够更有效地工作，它们可能会防止谷氨酸的积聚，从而防止对神经细胞的损害。了解这些机制将有助于开发一种有效的治疗方法，以防止视网膜血液供应受阻时失明。

Damage can occur to nervous tissues like the retina and brain when there is a reduction in the blood supply. This can occur as a result of a blood clot, stroke or the eye disease, glaucoma. These conditions often result in blindness. Much of the neuronal damage is due to the release of an excess of glutamate. Glutamate is a chemical (neurotransmitter) that nerves use to communicate with each other, but it is toxic to nerves when present at high concentrations. This project will investigate the mechanisms that regulate the concentration of glutamate in the retina. If these mechanisms could be made to work more efficiently, they may prevent the build-up of the glutamate and therefore prevent damage to the nerve cells. Understanding these mechanisms will aid in the development of an effective treatment to prevent blindness when there is a blockage of the blood supply to the retina.