Exciting news from researchers funded by the Glaucoma Research Foundation: a new type of neuron has been discovered in the retina, and it may play a major role in how blood vessels form and maintain themselves in the eye.
This newly identified neuron, called a perivascular neuron, doesn’t just transmit visual signals. Instead, it seems to help build and regulate the eye’s intricate vascular system, guiding how the tiny blood vessels in the retina develop and function. This is crucial because damage to the optic nerve and retinal blood flow issues are central to glaucoma progression.
The research team, led by scientists at UCSF and Stanford, used advanced genetic tools and imaging to map out how this neuron interacts with nearby tissues. What they found opens a whole new direction for understanding how neurons and blood vessels “talk” to each other, not just in the eye but potentially in the brain and spinal cord too.
Why does this matter for glaucoma?
These perivascular neurons may help us understand why blood flow becomes impaired in some patients, even when IOP is controlled. Future treatments could target this neuron’s function to improve blood supply or even protect nerve cells from damage.
While this discovery is promising, it’s important to recognize that these findings are still in the early stages. Although the research offers valuable insights into how this new type of neuron could be involved in neurodegenerative conditions like glaucoma, more research, including clinical studies, is needed to confirm its role and explore potential treatment applications. That said, it marks an exciting advancement in how we understand the connection between neurons, blood flow, and eye health.
The full summary by GRF is here: