# Multimodal assessment of photoreceptor structure and function in retinal trauma

> **NIH NIH F31** · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · 2021 · $46,036

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Rod and cone photoreceptors initiate vision by converting light into an electrical signal via phototransduction.
Many conditions either directly or indirectly prohibit photoreceptor function, including inherited retinal conditions,
systemic diseases, neurological disorders, and traumatic injuries. Clinical objectives are to identify pathology,
prevent future damage, and ideally restore lost function. Vision research has placed tremendous efforts on
restorative vision treatments, but the technology required to accurately detect retinal changes and monitor retinal
recovery remains limited in clinical settings. Visual deficits induced by retinal trauma is a common cause of vision
loss that often resolves over time – providing an excellent model to characterize and improve clinical techniques
for detecting retinal abnormalities and monitoring retinal restoration. Ubiquitous clinical tests to assess retinal
structure and function, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), microperimetry, and best-corrected visual
acuity (BCVA), are low resolution and/or subjective. There is thus a critical need to improve biomarkers for
detection of retinal pathology and application of novel approaches for better understanding behind the
pathophysiology of traumatic vision loss and retinal recovery. In this project, adaptive optics scanning light
ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) – a technique enabling high-resolution in vivo imaging and functional assessment of
photoreceptors – will be utilized to assess the relationship between AO-based photoreceptor metrics and
clinically used tools. Our central hypothesis is that multi-modal assessment of photoreceptor structure and
function will reveal variations in photoreceptor metrics that can be translated into biomarkers for the status and
function of the healthy and diseased retina. The first specific aim is to identify cellular correlates of cone
photoreceptor biomarkers from clinical tools. Specifically, we will use AOSLO to examine conventional clinical
tools, OCT and microperimetry. The second specific aim is to assess cone photoreceptor structure in
individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Visual dysfunction is commonly reported following mild TBI with
no clinical ophthalmic findings. We hypothesize that individuals with a clinical diagnosis of mild TBI and
subsequent visual dysfunction will have subclinical photoreceptor structural and functional abnormalities. The
third specific aim is to identify the mechanism of cone photoreceptor recovery following macular hole repair.
There are competing theories of visual recovery following macular hole repair, implicating either photoreceptor
migration or recovery of photoreceptor outer segment structure over time. The research planned herein provides
a unique individualized training opportunity by combining in vivo retinal imaging, translation between retinal and
neurological disorders, optical design, software development, and biomedical engineering. This ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10313985
- **Project number:** 1F31EY033204-01
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather Heitkotter
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,036
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10313985

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10313985, Multimodal assessment of photoreceptor structure and function in retinal trauma (1F31EY033204-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10313985. Licensed CC0.

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