From injury to recovery: Spatiotemporal dynamics of the visual pathway during spontaneous structural and functional regeneration after optic nerve transection in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: In adult mammals, optic nerve injury leads to irreversible vision loss due to its extremely limited regenerative capacity. In contrast, adult zebrafish possess a robust capacity for spontaneous visual system regeneration, although the spatiotemporal coordination of recovery across the retina, optic nerve, and brain remains poorly understood. In the present study, the regenerative dynamics following optic nerve transection were systematically characterized in adult zebrafish over a 5 week period using hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, single-cell RNA sequencing, and optokinetic response (OKR) behavioral assessments. At 1 week post-injury (1 wpi), retinal ganglion cell depletion was evident but showed significant recovery by 2 wpi. Concurrent

SUBMITTER: Shen BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12464375 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature