Traumatic Brain Injury Insight from the Eye

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, with no currently available therapeutic interventions. We recently characterized histological changes in the eye using two different mouse models of TBI, a fluid percussion injury model and a blast injury model. Working with the Bassuk Lab at the Univeristy of Iowa, and collaborators at Columbia Univeristy, we were able to demonstrate that variations in the type of TBI can result in drastically different changes within the eye, but that both models induced ocular damage. Molecular and phenotypic changes in the eye following TBI may provide valuable information regarding the mechanism, severity, and ongoing pathophysiology of brain injury. As vitreous samples from the eye are easily obtained, molecular changes within the eye could be utilized as biomarkers of TBI in human patients, helping to aid in both diagnosis and treatment management.