Nicotinamide and WLD^S Act Together to Prevent Neurodegeneration in Glaucoma.

ABSTRACT: Glaucoma is a complex neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive visual dysfunction leading to vision loss. Retinal ganglion cells are the primary affected neuronal population, with a critical insult damaging their axons in the optic nerve head. This insult is typically secondary to harmfully high levels of intraocular pressure (IOP). We have previously determined that early mitochondrial abnormalities within retinal ganglion cells lead to neuronal dysfunction, with age-related declines in NAD (NAD⁺ and NADH) rendering retinal ganglion cell mitochondria vulnerable to IOP-dependent stresses. The Wallerian degeneration slow allele, Wld^S , decreases the vulnerability of retinal ganglion cells in eyes with elevated IOP, but the exact mechanism(s)

SUBMITTER: Williams PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5403885 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature