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Ischemic optic neuropathies and their models: disease comparisons, model strengths and weaknesses

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Abstract

Ischemic optic neuropathies (IONs) describe a group of diseases that specifically target the optic nerve and result in sudden vision loss. These include nonarteritic and arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION and AAION) and posterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NPION, APION). Until recently, little was known of the mechanisms involved in ION damage, due to a lack of information about the mechanisms associated with these diseases. This review discusses the new models that closely mimic these diseases (rodent NAION, primate NAION, rodent PION). These models have enabled closer dissection of the mechanisms involved with the pathophysiology of these disorders and enable identification of relevant mechanisms and potential pathways for effective therapeutic intervention. Descriptions of the different models are included, and comparisons between the models, their relative similarities with the clinical disease, as well as differences are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the individuals who have worked on the rodent and nonhuman NAION models in our laboratory. These include Drs. M.A. Johnson, N. Goldenberg-Cohen, C. Chen, C. Zhang, C.Salgado, V. Touitou, Y. Guo, Z. Mehrabyan, and J. Nicholson. The invaluable assistance of our many students, including B.J. Slater, S.L. Vilson, D.L. Bernstein, A.M. Bernstein, and S. Hwang are also gratefully acknowledged. This work was funded by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness (SLB), The Hirschhorn Foundation (NRM), The Donegan Fund for Optic Nerve Research (NRM), and NIH grants EYRO1-019529 (SLB and NRM) and EYRO1-015304 (SLB).

Conflicts of interest

S. L. Bernstein, Patent (The use of Prostaglandin J2 for Optic nerve Disease); N. R. Miller, None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Maryland at Baltimore, MSTF 5-00B, 10 S. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Steven L. Bernstein

  2. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland at Baltimore, MSTF 5-00B, 10 S. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Steven L. Bernstein

  3. Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Neil R. Miller

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Correspondence to Steven L. Bernstein.

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Bernstein, S.L., Miller, N.R. Ischemic optic neuropathies and their models: disease comparisons, model strengths and weaknesses. Jpn J Ophthalmol 59, 135–147 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-015-0373-5

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