title: The role of lamina cribrosa cells in optic nerve head fibrosis in glaucoma.
abstract: Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy. There are extracellular matrix (ECM) changes associated with optic disc cupping in the optic nerve head (ONH) and subsequent visual field defects. The primary risk factor for onset and progression of glaucoma is raised intraocular pressure (IOP). Elevated IOP causes deformation at the ONH specifically at the lamina cribrosa (LC) region where there is also deposition of ECM causing the LC to initially undergo thickening and posterior migration with eventual shearing and collapse of the LC plates leading to a thin fibrotic connective tissue structure/scar. Cells that populate the LC region of the ONH are those cells that are positive for GFAP (the astrocytes) and those negative for GFAP (the LC cells). The LC cell plays an integral role in ECM remodelling producing ECM when exposed to high level mechanical stretch, TGF- β1 and a hypoxic environment.
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: deborah.wallace@ucd.ie.
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Colm J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000473:pathology; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins
keywords: Extracellular matrix; Fibrosis; Glaucoma; Lamina cribrosa; Optic nerve head