Increased ocular dopamine levels in rabbits after blue light stimulation of the optic nerve head.

The purpose was to quantify ocular dopamine in rabbits after stimulation of the optic nerve head with short-wavelength (blue) light to activate melanopsin expressed in the axons of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Dopamine levels in tears, aqueous humor, vitreous body, and retina (including choroid) were quantified after blue light stimulation of the optic nerve head of 15 rabbits with an optical fiber for 1 min, 10 min, or no stimulation (n = 5, each group). The left eye of all rabbits was operated on to introduce the optical fiber and stimulate the optic nerve, while the contralateral eye served as internal control. One minute of blue light stimulation significantly increased dopamine concentration in the vitreous body of the treated eyes compared to the contralateral ones (P = 0.015). Stimulation for 10 min significantly increased dopamine concentration in the vitreous body, as well as the aqueous humor (P < 0.05). Therefore, using an optical fiber approach to stimulate the optic nerve head with blue light significantly increased dopamine concentration in the aqueous humor and the vitreous body. This likely reflects an upregulation of retinal dopamine synthesis that could be attributed to ipRGC activation. However, the data provided in this study fell short of establishing a definitive link between dopamine release and ipRGC activation, mainly due to the lack of evidence supporting the expression of the melanopsin photopigment in the optic nerve.

Sialoadhesin promotes neuroinflammation-related disease progression in two mouse models of CLN disease.

CLN diseases are mostly fatal lysosomal storage diseases that lead to neurodegeneration in the CNS. We have previously shown that CD8+ T-lymphocytes contribute to axonal perturbation and neuron loss in the CNS of Ppt1(-/-) mice, a model of CLN1 disease. We now investigated the role of the inflammation-related cell adhesion molecule sialoadhesin (Sn) in Ppt1(-/-) and Cln3(-/-) mice, a model of the most frequent form, CLN3 disease. Microglia/macrophages in the CNS of both models showed an upregulation of Sn and markers for proinflammatory M1 polarization and antigen presentation. Sn+ microglia/macrophages associated with SMI32+ axonal spheroids and CD8+ T-lymphocytes. To analyze their pathogenic impact, we crossbred both models with Sn-deficient mice and scored axonal degeneration and neuronal integrity using immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and optical coherence tomography. Degenerative alterations in the retinotectal pathway of Ppt1(-/-)Sn(-/-) and Cln3(-/-)Sn(-/-) mice were significantly reduced. Ppt1(-/-)Sn(-/-) mice also showed a substantially improved clinical phenotype and extended lifespan, attenuated numbers of M1-polarized microglia/macrophages and reduced expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines. This was accompanied by an increased frequency of CD8+CD122+ T-lymphocytes in the CNS of Ppt1(-/-)Sn(-/-) mice, the regulatory phenotype of which was demonstrated by impaired survival of CD8+CD122- effector T-lymphocytes in co-culture experiments. We show for the first time that increased Sn expression on microglia/macrophages contributes to neural perturbation in two distinct models of CLN disease. Our data also indicate that a rarely described CD8+CD122+ T-cell population can regulate the corresponding diseases. These studies provide insights into CLN pathogenesis and may guide in designing immuno-regulatory treatment strategies.

Increase in choroidal thickness after blue light stimulation of the blind spot in young adults.

BACKGROUND: Blue light activates melanopsin, a photopigment that is expressed in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). The axons of ipRGCs converge on the optic disc, which corresponds to the physiological blind spot in the visual field. Thus, a blue light stimulus aligned with the blind spot captures the ipRGCs axons at the optic disc. This study examined the potential changes in choroidal thickness and axial length associated with blue light stimulation of melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs at the blind spot. It was hypothesized that blue light stimulation at the blind spot in adults increases choroidal thickness. METHODS: The blind spots of both eyes of 10 emmetropes and 10 myopes, with a mean age of 28 ± 6 years (SD), were stimulated locally for 1-minute with blue flickering light with a 460 nm peak wavelength. Measurements of choroidal thickness and axial length were collected from the left eye before stimulation and over a 60-minute poststimulation period. At a similar time of day, choroidal thickness and axial length were measured under sham control condition in all participants, while a subset of 3 emmetropes and 3 myopes were measured after 1-minute of red flickering light stimulation of the blind spot with a peak wavelength of 620 nm. Linear mixed model analyses were performed to examine the light-induced changes in choroidal thickness and axial length over time and between refractive groups. RESULTS: Compared with sham control (2 ± 1 µm, n = 20) and red light (-1 ± 2 µm, n = 6) stimulation, subfoveal choroidal thickness increased within 60 min after blue light stimulation of the blind spot (7 ± 1 µm, n = 20; main effect of light, p < 0.001). Significant choroidal thickening after blue light stimulation occurred in emmetropes (10 ± 2 µm, p < 0.001) but not in myopes (4 ± 2 µm, p > 0.05). Choroidal thickening after blue light stimulation was greater in the fovea, diminishing in the parafoveal and perifoveal regions. There was no significant main effect of light, or light by refractive error interaction on the axial length after blind spot stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that stimulating melanopsin-expressing axons of ipRGCs at the blind spot with blue light increases choroidal thickness in young adults. This has potential implications for regulating eye growth.

Blue-light stimulation of the blind-spot constricts the pupil and enhances contrast sensitivity.

Short- and long-wavelength light can alter pupillary responses differently, allowing inferences to be made about the contribution of different photoreceptors on pupillary constriction. In addition to classical retinal photoreceptors, the pupillary light response is formed by the activity of melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC). It has been shown in rodents that melanopsin is expressed in the axons of ipRGCs that bundle at the optic nerve head, which forms the perceptual blind-spot. Hence, the first aim of this study was to investigate if blind-spot stimulation induces a pupillary response. The second aim was to investigate the effect of blind-spot stimulation by using the contrast sensitivity tests. Fifteen individuals participated in the pupil response experiment and thirty-two individuals in the contrast sensitivity experiment. The pupillary change was quantified using the post-illumination pupil response (PIPR) amplitudes after blue-light (experimental condition) and red-light (control condition) pulses in the time window between 2 s and 6 s post-illumination. The contrast sensitivity was assessed using two different tests: the Freiburg Visual Acuity Test and Contrast Test and the Tuebingen Contrast Sensitivity Test, respectively. Contrast sensitivity was measured before and 20 minutes after binocular blue-light stimulation of the blind-spot at spatial frequencies higher than or equal to 3 cycles per degree (cpd) and at spatial frequencies lower than 3 cpd (control condition). Blue-light blind-spot stimulation induced a significantly larger PIPR compared to red-light, confirming a melanopsin-mediated pupil-response in the blind-spot. Furthermore, contrast sensitivity was increased after blind-spot stimulation, confirmed by both contrast sensitivity tests. Only spatial frequencies of at least 3 cpd were enhanced. This study demonstrates that stimulating the blind-spot with blue-light constricts the pupil and increases the contrast sensitivity at higher spatial frequencies.

Increase in b-wave amplitude after light stimulation of the blind spot is positively correlated with the axial length of myopic individuals.

Altered retinal dopamine and ON-pathway activity may underlie myopia development. It has been shown that the stimulation of the blind spot with short-wavelength light increases the electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave amplitude of myopic eyes and may engage the retinal dopaminergic system. This study evaluated the impact of various durations of blind spot stimulation on the electrophysiological response of the myopic retina and their relationship to axial length. Six myopic individuals underwent three short-wavelength blue light blind spot stimulation protocols (10 s, 1 min, 10 min) using a virtual reality headset. As a control condition, no stimulation was shown for 1 min. The b-wave amplitude of the photopic full-field ERG was measured at baseline and 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min after each condition. A significant increase in b-wave amplitude was observed for all stimulation protocols compared to the control. The peak b-wave amplitude was observed 20 min after the 1-min stimulation protocol and 60 min after the 10-min stimulation protocol. A significant positive correlation was found between axial length of the eye and percent change in b-wave amplitude for the 10-min stimulation protocol. A rapid and a delayed b-wave time course responses were observed following 1 min and 10 min of blind spot stimulation, respectively. Overall, these results indicate that light stimulation of the blind spot for various durations elevates ON-bipolar cell activity in the retina and as such is assumed to reduce the myopic response. These findings could have implications for future myopia treatment.

Blue light blind-spot stimulation upregulates b-wave and pattern ERG activity in myopes.

Upregulation of retinal dopaminergic activity may be a target treatment for myopia progression. This study aimed to explore the viability of inducing changes in retinal electrical activity with short-wavelength light targeting melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) passing through the optic nerve head. Fifteen healthy non-myopic or myopic young adults were recruited and underwent stimulation with blue light using a virtual reality headset device. Amplitudes and implicit times from photopic 3.0 b-wave and pattern electroretinogram (PERG) were measured at baseline and 10 and 20 min after stimulation. Relative changes were compared between non-myopes and myopes. The ERG b-wave amplitude was significantly larger 20 min after blind-spot stimulation compared to baseline (p < 0.001) and 10 min (p < 0.001) post-stimulation. PERG amplitude P50-N95 also showed a significant main effect for 'Time after stimulation' (p < 0.050). Implicit times showed no differences following blind-spot stimulation. PERG and b-wave changes after blind-spot stimulation were stronger in myopes than non-myopes. It is possible to induce significant changes in retinal electrical activity by stimulating ipRGCs axons at the optic nerve head with blue light. The results suggest that the changes in retinal electrical activity are located at the inner plexiform layer and are likely to involve the dopaminergic system.

Authentication of Coffea arabica Varieties through DNA Fingerprinting and its Significance for the Coffee Sector.

BACKGROUND: Locating the optimal varieties for coffee cultivation is increasingly considered a key condition for sustainable production and marketing. Variety performance varies when it comes to susceptibility to coffee leaf rust and other diseases, adaptation to climate change and high cup quality for specialty markets. But because of poor organization and the lack of a professional coffee seed sector, most existing coffee farms (and even seed lots and nurseries) do not know which varieties they are using. DNA fingerprinting of coffee planting material will contribute to professionalize the coffee seed sector. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is i) to check in a large scale the robustness of the existing coffee DNA fingerprinting method based on eight Single Sequence Repeats markers (SRR) and ii) to describe how it can help in moving the needle towards a more professional seed sector. METHOD: 2533 samples representing all possible genetic background of Arabica varieties were DNA fingerprinted with 8 SRR markers. The genetic diversity was analyzed and the genetic conformity to varietal references was assessed. RESULTS: The DNA fingerprinting method proved to be robust in authenticating varieties and trace back the history of C. arabica breeding and of the movement of C. arabica varieties. The genetic conformity of two important coffee varieties, Marseillesa and Gesha, proved to be 91% and 39% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DNA fingerprinting provides different actors in the coffee sector with a powerful new tool-farmers can verify the identity of their cultivated varieties, coffee roasters can be assured that marketing claims related to varieties are correct, and most of all, those looking to establish the a more professional and reliable coffee seed sector have a reliable new monitoring tool to establish and check genetic purity of seed stock and nursery plants. HIGHLIGHTS: While C. arabica is primarily self-pollinating, even fixed line varieties appear to be drifting away from their original genetic reference due to uncontrolled cross pollination. A set of 8 SSR markers applied to the largest possible genetically diverse set of samples prove to discriminate between a wide range of varieties Figures confirm that genetic non conformity of coffee varieties can represent up to 61% of checked samples.

Looking Through "Rose-Tinted" Glasses: The Influence of Tint on Visual Affective Processing.

The use of color-tinted lenses can introduce profound effects into how we process visual information at the early to late stages. Besides mediating harsh lighting conditions, some evidence suggests that color-tinted lenses can influence how humans respond to emotional events. In this study, we systematically evaluated how color-tinted lenses modified our participants' psychophysiological responses to emotion-inducing images. The participants passively viewed pleasant, neutral or unpleasant images from the International-Affective-Picture-System (IAPS), while wearing none, blue, red, yellow or green tinted-lenses that were controlled for luminance. Established neuroergonomic indices of arousal were measured on the autonomic level, namely Skin-Conductance-Response (SCR) and Heart-Rate-Variability (HRV), and on the cortical level, with electroencephalography (EEG) event-related potentials (ERPs). Phasic SCR responses were significantly enhanced for unpleasant images and both pleasant and unpleasant images induced significantly larger ERP amplitudes of the Late-Positive-Potential (LPP), with pleasant images having the greatest impact. Interestingly, a significant main effect was found for tint. Similar to viewing pleasant images, red-tinted lenses induced the largest LPPs. Taken together, these findings suggest that the autonomic response to affective images is modulated at the cortical level of processing, congruent with the use of red-tinted lenses.

Individual neural transfer function affects the prediction of subjective depth of focus.

Attempts to accurately predict the depth of focus (DoF) based on objective metrics have failed so far. We investigated the effect of the individual neural transfer function (iNTF) on the quality of the prediction of the subjective DoF from objective wavefront measures. Subjective DoF was assessed in 22 participants using subjective through focus curves of visual acuity (VA). Objective defocus curves were calculated for visual Strehl metrics of the optical (VSOTFa) and the modulation transfer function as well as the point spread function. DoF was computed for residual lower order aberrations (rLoA) and incorporation of iNTF. Correlations between subjective and objective DoF did not reach significance, when a) standard metrics were used and b) rLoA were considered (r max = 0.33, p all > 0.05). By incorporating the iNTF of the individuals in the calculation of the objective DoF from the VSOTFa metric, a moderate statistically significant correlation was found (r = 0.43, p < 0.01, Pearson). The iNTF of the individual's eye is fundamental for the prediction of subjective DoF using the VSOTFa metric. Individualized predictions could aid future application in the correction of refractive errors like presbyopia using intraocular lenses.

TuebingenCSTest - a useful method to assess the contrast sensitivity function.

Since contrast sensitivity (CS) relies on the accuracy of stimulus presentation, the reliability of the psychophysical procedure and observer's attention, the measurement of the CS-function is critical and therefore, a useful threshold contrast measurement was developed. The Tuebingen Contrast Sensitivity Test (TueCST) includes an adaptive staircase procedure and a 16-bit gray-level resolution. In order to validate the CS measurements with the TueCST, measurements were compared with existing tests by inter-test repeatability, test-retest reliability and time. The novel design enables an accurate presentation of the spatial frequency and higher precision, inter-test repeatability and test-retest reliability compared to other existing tests.

Peripheral Design of Progressive Addition Lenses and the Lag of Accommodation in Myopes.

Purpose: Insufficient accommodative response is assumed to result in myopia progression. We have investigated if the accommodative lag in myopes is different between a single vision lens (SVL) and the progressive addition lens PAL 2, clinically trialled for its ability to reduce progression of myopia, and if there exist differences in accommodative lag between PAL 2 and other PALs with the same addition power (+1.50 D). Methods: The influence of spherical SVL and four different designs of PALs that differ in the near zone width (PAL 1) or that have different signs and magnitude of horizontal gradients of mean power adjacent to their near vision zones (PAL 3 and PAL 4) on the accommodative response was investigated for different near viewing distances (40, 33, and 25 cm) in 31 subjects, aged 18 to 25 years. Results: The SVL correction resulted in insufficient accommodative response for the near object viewing distances tested. PAL 2 did significantly reduce accommodative lag for all near object distances tested. The PAL design with a more negative horizontal mean power gradient (PAL 4) provided a lower lag of accommodation when compared with PAL 2 at the shortest object distance of 25 cm (P = 0.03) and was able to reduce the lag of accommodation to a level below the depth of focus for the higher near working distances tested. Conclusions: Designs of PAL with more negative horizontal mean power gradients are the most effective in lowering the lag of accommodation in myopes. This could make them good test candidates for myopia control applications.