Home › Research › Brain scans and imaging
Synergistic action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and lens injury promotes retinal ganglion cell survival, but leads to optic nerve dystrophy in vivo
Pernet V, Di Polo A.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2006-01-17
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Trauma or disease in the CNS often leads to neuronal death and consequent loss of functional connections. The idea has been put forward that strategies aimed at repairing the injured CNS involve stimulation of both neuronal survival and axon regeneration. We tested this hypothesis in the adult rat retinocollicular system by combining two strategies: (i) exogenous administration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a potent survival factor for damaged retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and (ii) lens injury, which promotes robust growth of transected RGC axons. Our results demonstrate that BDNF and lens injury interact synergistically to promote neuronal survival: 71% of RGCs were alive at 2 weeks after optic nerve injury, a time when only approximately 10% of these neurons remain without treatment. Intravitreal injection of BDNF, however, led to regeneration failure following lens injury. The effect of BDNF could not be generalized to other growth factors, as ciliary neurotrophic factor did not cause a significant reduction of lens injury-induced regeneration. Growth arrest in optic nerves treated with BDNF and lens injury correlated with the formation of hypertrophic axonal swellings in the proximal optic nerve. These swellings were filled with numerous vesicular bodies, disorganized neurofilaments and degenerating organelles. Our results demonstrate that: (i) increased neuronal survival does not necessarily lead to enhanced axon regeneration and (ii) activation of survival and growth pathways may produce axonal dystrophy similar to that found in neurodegenerative disorders including glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. We propose that loss of axonal integrity may limit neuronal recovery in the injured, adult CNS.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Pernet, V., & Di Polo, A. (2006). Synergistic action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and lens injury promotes retinal ganglion cell survival, but leads to optic nerve dystrophy in vivo. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awl015
Vancouver
Pernet V, Di Polo A. Synergistic action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and lens injury promotes retinal ganglion cell survival, but leads to optic nerve dystrophy in vivo. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2006. doi:10.1093/brain/awl015. PMID: 16418178.
BibTeX
@article{pernet2006-16418178,
author = {Pernet, V. and Di Polo, A.},
title = {{Synergistic action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and lens injury promotes retinal ganglion cell survival, but leads to optic nerve dystrophy in vivo}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awl015},
pmid = {16418178},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awl015}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Our results demonstrate that BDNF and lens injury interact synergistically to promote neuronal survival: 71% of RGCs were alive at 2 weeks after optic nerve injury, a time when only approximately 10% of these neurons remain without treatment.
- The effect of BDNF could not be generalized to other growth factors, as ciliary neurotrophic factor did not cause a significant reduction of lens injury-induced regeneration.
- Our results demonstrate that: (i) increased neuronal survival does not necessarily lead to enhanced axon regeneration and (ii) activation of survival and growth pathways may produce axonal dystrophy similar to that found in neurodegenerative disorders including glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 23 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 40 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multicenter collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16418178) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 23 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 23 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 40 out of 100. |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Related studies in Brain scans and imaging
Also tagged “lens”
2 studies in the library carry the topic tag “lens”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 2 tagged studies.