Adaptive Optics Imager for Study of Pediatric Retinal Disorders

描述(申请人提供)：这个项目广泛的、长期的目标是扩大我们对儿童中心凹的神经血管关系的理解，中心凹是健康、成熟的眼睛调节精致敏锐度的中央视网膜区域。神经和血管成分在出生前和出生后都参与了正常中心凹的发育，儿科视网膜疾病可以改变发育过程中的神经-血管关系。为了验证有关中心凹的假设，我们的八名研究人员要求使用一台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”)。该仪器能够以非侵入性的、活体采集视网膜切片的图像，其保真度几乎与传统的组织切片相同。它提供了显示核层、丛状层和光感受器层的图像，以及在选定的视网膜深度并排显示血管和神经元的正面图像。在目前NIH的资助下，主要用户调查有早产史(Fulton，VanderVeen，Leviton)和灵长类模型屈光不正(Troilo)的儿科受试者的眼睛。众所周知，早产儿视网膜病变(ROP)，甚至早产本身，都会改变视网膜的神经和血管成分，但对于早产儿的光感受器和视网膜周围血管系统，还有更多的东西需要了解。小使用者的研究拓宽了我们对视网膜的理解。虽然大鼠没有中心凹，但ROP的大鼠模型提供了一个检查神经血管病理学(Hansen)的基础生物学的机会。与Genetics(Irons)和Otorhinolaryngology(KENA)的合作旨在研究具有遗传性疾病的基因分型受试者的中心凹，包括白化病、Stargardt青少年黄斑变性和Usher综合征，这些综合征像早产和ROP一样，会导致儿童视力障碍。为了从后一组受试者以及有眼球震颤和/或不稳定注视的ROP受试者那里获得无污染的图像，有必要将眼球跟踪器整合到PSI视网膜成像仪中。近视和其他严重的屈光不正在患有这些疾病的受试者中很常见。因此，对近视健康个体中心凹的研究提供了关键的参考数据，可以将来自视网膜病变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，这些信息将为中心凹疾病的神经血管成分提供新的见解。我们相信，这一新知识将导致对儿童视网膜患者的更好管理。与公共健康相关：视网膜疾病的研究人员需要一台超高分辨率的视网膜成像仪(物理科学公司)以进一步研究儿童中心凹的精细结构和中央视网膜的神经血管关系。他们的目标是获得新的知识和洞察力，了解影响中央视网膜的疾病导致儿童失明和视力丧失的基础。新的理解将有助于改善护理和治疗的计划。

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.