Trans-retinal degeneration in ageing human retina: a multiphoton microscopy analysis

• Published in: British journal of ophthalmology Vol. 95; no. 5
• Main Authors: Lei, Yuan, Garrahan, Nigel, Hermann, Boris, Fautsch, Michael P, Boulton, Michael, Morgan, James Edwards
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMJ Publishing Group 22.12.2010
• Subjects: Pathology; Imaging; Retina
• ISSN: 0007-1161; 1468-2079
• DOI: 10.1136/bjo.2010.180869

Abstract Purpose: Retinal cell remodelling has been reported as a consistent feature of ageing. However the degree to which this results in trans-retinal degeneration is unclear. To address this, we used multiphoton microscopy to quantify retinal degeneration in post-mortem human eyes of two age groups. Methods: Retinas from six young subjects (18-33 years old) and six aged subjects (74-90 years old) were prepared as wholemount preparation. All retina were stained with DAPI and imaged by multiphoton confocal microscopy to quantify neuron densities in the retinal ganglion cell layer (RGCL), inner nucleus layer (INL) and outer nucleus layer (ONL). Neurons were identified using automated cell identification. All retinas were imaged hydrated to minimise counting artefacts. Results: In both groups, 56% of the area within the central 4 mm eccentricity, and 27% of the area with eccentricity between 4 mm and 7 mm were imaged. Compared with young subjects, the peak RGCL neuron loss in the aged subjects was at 1mm eccentricity of 25.5%. In the INL and ONL, neuron density significantly decreased at 1-2 mm eccentricity (8.7%) and 0.5-4 mm eccentricity (15.6%) respectively (P < 0.05). The reduction in neuron density in the INL corresponded spatially to the region with the greatest neuron loss in the RGCL and ONL, Conclusions: This is the first study to correlate neurodegeneration in different populations of cells in the ageing retinas. Our data confirm that the greatest neuronal loss occurs in the RGCL and ONL in human ageing retinas, whereas the INL is relatively preserved.