Researchers seeking to unravel the mysteries of how our amazingly complex brains do what they do, often start with the eye. An extension of neural tissue connecting the eye and brain, the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye has long been a model for scientists to explore how the brain works.
Studies of the retina, optic nerve and primary visual cortex therefore are a part of the Federally led moonshot project called the BRAIN Initiative, which aims to elucidate how the brain functions in health and disease. The hope is that such knowledge will help accelerate progress in treating and preventing brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, depression and traumatic brain injury.
Read more at: https://www.newswise.com/articles/researchers-look-to-the-eye-for-insights-about-the-brain