PMID- 18263808
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20080718
LR  - 20080602
IS  - 0146-0404 (Print)
IS  - 0146-0404 (Linking)
VI  - 49
IP  - 6
DP  - 2008 Jun
TI  - BDNF preserves the dendritic morphology of alpha and beta ganglion cells in the 
      cat retina after optic nerve injury.
PG  - 2456-63
LID - 10.1167/iovs.07-1325 [doi]
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a potent 
      neuroprotectant in the mammalian retina, also plays a role in preserving the 
      dendritic integrity of the surviving ganglion cells after optic nerve injury. 
      METHODS: Single ganglion cells from cats that underwent unilateral optic nerve 
      crush and received no treatment or nerve crush combined with intravitreous 
      treatment of the affected eye with BDNF were labeled intracellularly, 
      reconstructed using confocal microscopy, and compared quantitatively. RESULTS: 
      Optic nerve injury produced a significant decrease in the soma, dendritic field 
      size, and dendritic complexity of alpha cells. beta Cells also displayed a 
      significant decrease in soma size, but their dendritic fields were not affected 
      as severely as those of alpha cells. Intravitreous treatment of the eye with BDNF 
      at the time of injury preserved the normal somal and dendritic morphologies of 
      both alpha and beta cells. CONCLUSIONS: BDNF, in addition to promoting ganglion 
      cell survival, plays an important role in preserving the somal and dendritic 
      morphologies of the surviving ganglion cells, a necessary precursor to 
      maintaining normal visual function. Ganglion cells, however, are not created 
      equal with respect to their responses to nerve injury or to treatment of the eye 
      with BDNF. Thus, development of effective treatment strategies for preserving 
      ganglion cell function in optic nerve-related diseases mandates a clearer 
      understanding of the cellular response characteristics of the specific neurons 
      involved.
FAU - Weber, Arthur J
AU  - Weber AJ
AD  - Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 
      48824, USA. weberar@msu.edu
FAU - Harman, Christine D
AU  - Harman CD
LA  - eng
GR  - EY11159/EY/NEI NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
DEP - 20080208
PL  - United States
TA  - Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
JT  - Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
JID - 7703701
RN  - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
RN  - 0 (Neuroprotective Agents)
RN  - 0 (Recombinant Proteins)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*pharmacology
MH  - Cats
MH  - Cell Count
MH  - Cell Survival/drug effects
MH  - Dendrites/*drug effects
MH  - Neuroprotective Agents/*pharmacology
MH  - Optic Nerve Injuries/complications/*drug therapy
MH  - Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology
MH  - Retinal Degeneration/etiology/prevention & control
MH  - Retinal Ganglion Cells/*drug effects/pathology
EDAT- 2008/02/12 09:00
MHDA- 2008/07/19 09:00
CRDT- 2008/02/12 09:00
PHST- 2008/02/12 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2008/07/19 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2008/02/12 09:00 [entrez]
AID - iovs.07-1325 [pii]
AID - 10.1167/iovs.07-1325 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008 Jun;49(6):2456-63. doi: 10.1167/iovs.07-1325. 
      Epub 2008 Feb 8.