The retina transforms light into electrical signals, which are sent to the brain via the optic nerve to form our visual perception. This complex signal processing is performed by the retinal neuron and requires a significant amount of energy. Since neurons are unable to store energy, they must obtain glucose and oxygen from the bloodstream to produce energy to match metabolic needs. This process is called neurovascular coupling (NVC), and it is based on a precise mechanism that is not totally understood. The discovery of fine tubular processes termed tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) set a new type of cell-to-cell communication. TNTs are extensions of the cellular membrane that allow the transfer of material between connected cells. Recently, they have been reported in the brain and retina of living mice, where they connect pericytes, which are vascular mural cells that regulate vessel diameter. Accordingly, these TNTs were termed interpericyte tunnelling nanotubes (IPTNTs), which showed a vital role in blood delivery and NVC. In this chapter, we review the involvement of TNTs in NVC and discuss their implications in retinal neurodegeneration.
Keyphrases
- optic nerve
- optical coherence tomography
- blood flow
- induced apoptosis
- diabetic retinopathy
- cell cycle arrest
- single cell
- white matter
- resting state
- small molecule
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- stem cells
- spinal cord
- signaling pathway
- air pollution
- adipose tissue
- weight loss
- escherichia coli
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- room temperature
- insulin resistance
- skeletal muscle
- high fat diet induced
- glycemic control