title: Reconnecting Eye to Brain.
abstract: Although much is known about the regenerative capacity of retinal ganglion cells, very significant barriers remain in our ability to restore visual function following traumatic injury or disease-induced degeneration. Here we summarize our current understanding of the factors regulating axon guidance and target engagement in regenerating axons, and review the state of the field of neural regeneration, focusing on the visual system and highlighting studies using other model systems that can inform analysis of visual system regeneration. This overview is motivated by a Society for Neuroscience Satellite meeting, "Reconnecting Neurons in the Visual System," held in October 2015 sponsored by the National Eye Institute as part of their "Audacious Goals Initiative" and co-organized by Carol Mason (Columbia University) and Michael Crair (Yale University). The collective wisdom of the conference participants pointed to important gaps in our knowledge and barriers to progress in promoting the restoration of visual system function. This article is thus a summary of our existing understanding of visual system regeneration and provides a blueprint for future progress in the field.
authors: Departments of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, and michael.crair@yale.edu cam4@columbia.edu.
authors: Michael C
authors: MC
authors: Crair
authors: Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032 michael.crair@yale.edu cam4@columbia.edu.
authors: Carol A
authors: 0000-0001-6253-505X
authors: CA
authors: Mason
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009799:Ocular Physiological Phenomena; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: axon; axon guidance; axon regeneration; eye; lateral geniculate nucleus; optic nerve; regeneration; retina; retinal ganglion cells; superior colliculus; traumatic brain injury; vision; visual cortex