Do you think that ganglion cell axonal regeneration may be stimulated in a 54 year old patient who became blind after suffering encephalitis in 2014, and subsequently lost almost all of his optic nerves (from the eye to the optic chiasm)? Recent MRI with DTI analyses revealed intact occipital lobes and optic tract up to the optic chiasm, but pathologic MRI signal of the optic chiasm with optic nerve atrophy. We have been able to increase his perception of phosphenes using tDCS, and wonder if we can amplify this effect.
Hi Efthymios Angelakis ,
Interesting case! Actually it has been reported that the Intravitreal injection of the microglia inhibitor (i.e. tuftsin 1-3) enhanced the ganglion cell axonal regeneration.
Article Microglial changes accompanying the promotion of retinal gan...
If in this case there was no exogenous inhibition of astrocyte or glial activity, you may also consider to perform an IHC and immunolabeling to characterize and classify any endogenous microglial activity inhibition.
It would also be very interesting to know more about the results of your work on perception of phosphenes & tDCS.
Thanks, Bahman Sadeghi ! We applied 1 mA, 1,5 mA AND 2 mA tACS at 10, 15, and 20 Hz near the eye, and the patient perceived phosphenes, initially for ~30-40 seconds, after which he did not. After long (daily sessions for months) treatment with anodal 2 mA tDCS (again near the eye), the patient could perceive the tACS-incuded phosphenes for much longer periods.
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