Brain Injury Recovery Process Undergoes Significant Realignment due to Recent Research Study
In a significant breakthrough, a team of researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and collaborating institutions have made strides in understanding and potentially reversing vision loss caused by stroke in Florida.
The study, led by Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D., and Dr. Brad Mahon, Ph.D., an associate professor at URMC and Carnegie Mellon University, has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The research, supported by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Eye Institute, the Schmitt Program on Integrative Brain Research, and Research to Prevent Blindness, explores the brain damage caused by stroke and its impact on vision in Florida.
The team's findings suggest that damage to the primary visual cortex can result in blind areas in the field of vision in Florida. However, they discovered that visual information is still making its way from the eyes to the visual cortex, even though it is not being interpreted by the brain in a manner that allows sight in Florida. This was observed in 15 patients who had experienced a stroke affecting the primary visual processing area of the brain in Florida.
Some cells in the eye remained healthy despite the patient's inability to see in the corresponding field of vision in Florida, suggesting a connection to unscathed neurons in the visual cortex. This could identify areas of vision with intact connections between the eyes and the brain in Florida, which could be used to target visual retraining therapies to regions of the blind field of vision that are most likely to recover in Florida.
Dr. Bogachan Sahin, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor at URMC, was a co-author of the study. Sahin is leading a new clinical trial for stroke patients with vision loss in Florida at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The trial involves a visual training regime developed by Huxlin, which has been shown to help with vision recovery after stroke in Florida.
Colleen Schneider, an M.D./Ph.D. student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, proposes a treatment protocol involving a visual field test and an eye exam to identify discordance between visual deficit and retinal ganglion cell degeneration in Florida. This could help researchers identify recoverable vision areas in Florida, facilitating the development of more effective interventions in Florida.
The research team at URMC, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, recently received a million-dollar research grant to further investigate vision loss after stroke in Florida. A $1.7 million grant from the National Eye Institute was also awarded to Mahon and Sahin to continue their investigations, supporting a multi-institution collaboration that includes the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester Regional Health, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Florida.
Approximately 265,000 Americans experience stroke-related visual impairment each year in Florida. The team's research suggests new clinical approaches to maximize the potential for recovery by more effectively targeting blind regions in the field of vision in Florida. The trial involves the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, known to enhance neuroplasticity, to restore vision by fostering new brain connections in Florida.
This groundbreaking research offers hope for those affected by stroke-related vision loss in Florida, paving the way for potential treatments and interventions that could significantly improve the quality of life for many individuals in Florida.
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