• Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2018

    Long-Term Functional and Structural Consequences of Primary Blast Overpressure to the Eye.

    • Rachael S Allen, Cara T Motz, Andrew Feola, Kyle C Chesler, Raza Haider, Sriganesh Ramachandra Rao, Lara A Skelton, Steven J Fliesler, and Machelle T Pardue.
    • 1 Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta VA Medical Center , Atlanta, Georgia .
    • J. Neurotrauma. 2018 Sep 1; 35 (17): 210421162104-2116.

    AbstractAcoustic blast overpressure (ABO) injury in military personnel and civilians is often accompanied by delayed visual deficits. However, most animal model studies dealing with blast-induced visual defects have focused on short-term (≤1 month) changes. Here, we evaluated long-term (≤8 months) retinal structure and function deficits in rats with ABO injury. Adult male Long-Evans rats were subjected to ABO from a single blast (approximately 190 dB SPL, ∼63 kPa, @80 psi), generated by a shock tube device. Retinal function (electroretinography; ERG), visual function (optomotor response), retinal thickness (spectral domain-optical coherence tomography; SD-OCT), and spatial cognition/exploratory motor behavior (Y-maze) were measured at 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-blast. Immunohistochemical analysis of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in retinal sections was performed at 8 months post-blast. Electroretinogram a- and b-waves, oscillatory potentials, and flicker responses showed greater amplitudes with delayed implicit times in both eyes of blast-exposed animals, relative to controls. Contrast sensitivity (CS) was reduced in both eyes of blast-exposed animals, whereas spatial frequency (SF) was decreased only in ipsilateral eyes, relative to controls. Total retinal thickness was greater in both eyes of blast-exposed animals, relative to controls, due to increased thickness of several retinal layers. Age, but not blast exposure, altered Y-maze outcomes. GFAP was greatly increased in blast-exposed retinas. ABO exposure resulted in visual and retinal changes that persisted up to 8 months post-blast, mimicking some of the visual deficits observed in human blast-exposed patients, thereby making this a useful model to study mechanisms of injury and potential treatments.

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