“Dormant” cone photoreceptors continue to drive retinal activity for vision. New University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) research in mice suggests that “dormant” cone photoreceptors in the degenerating retina are not dormant at all, but continue to function, producing responses to light and
In a recent UCLA study, researchers discovered that “dormant” cone cells in degenerating retinas still function, providing hope for preserving near-normal daytime vision in patients with irreversible retinal blindness.New University of California, Los Angeles research in mice suggests that “dormant” cone photoreceptors in the degenerating retina are not dormant at all, but continue to function, producing responses to light and driving retinal activity for vision.
But while past literature suggested that dormant cells were not functional, and earlier attempts to record from them revealed no light-driven activity, the new study indicates for the first time that the cells are still viable. Furthermore, downstream signals recorded from the retina show that visual processing is not as compromised as may be expected.
The investigators examined membrane properties of cones in mice following the degeneration of rods. The patch clamp recording method is a laboratory technique for studying currents in living cells while controlling the cell’s membrane potential, or membrane voltage.
“These important results may suggest a future path forward for patients with conditions thought to be causing irreversible retinal blindness, as photoreceptor or cone viability in tissue was previously thought to be irreparably damaged,” said Dr. Steven Schwartz, Ahmanson chair in ophthalmology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and professor and Retina Division chief at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute.
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