Alejandra Bosco
- Neurobiology & Anatomy
- Research Instructor
Research Interests
Essential to the central nervous system (CNS) aging and all its pathologies is the local clustering of activated microglia, which are the resident immune system. Glaucoma, an age-related neurodegenerative disease of the retina, is no exception to this. Activated microglia converge to the optic nerve site where the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axonal damage is first clinically detected in humans. However, remains unclear whether microglia activation precedes or is a consequence of the neuronal decline. Working on a mouse model of chronic glaucoma that closely mimics the human disease, we have established the patterns and timing of microglia reactivation and are seeking the effects of its interruption on glaucoma progression. Ultimately, we aim at determining whether the RGC-microglia interaction is a viable target for diagnosis and therapy in glaucoma. In general, these findings should increase our understanding of the biology of neurodegeneration linked to aging.
Recent Publications
Bosco A., Inman D.M., Steele M.R., Wu G., Marsh-Armstrong N., Calkins D., Horner P.J., and Vetter M.L. (2008). Minocycline reduces retinal microglial activation and improves optic nerve integrity in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma. Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science 49: 1437-1446.
Bosco A., Steele M.R., Inman D.M., Horner P.J., Vetter M.L. Microglia activation in the central retina precedes neurodegeneration in DBA/2J glaucoma.
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