José M. Ramí­rez

By J.M. Ramírez, J.J. Salazar, R. de Hoz, B. Rojas, B.I. Gallego, A.I. Ramírez and A. Triviño

Part of the book: Current Basic and Pathological Approaches to the Function of Muscle Cells and Tissues

By A. Triviño, R. de Hoz, B. Rojas, B.I. Gallego, A.I. Ramírez, J.J. Salazar and J.M. Ramírez

Part of the book: Ocular Diseases

By Elena Salobrar‐García, Ana I. Ramírez, Rosa de Hoz, Pilar Rojas, Juan J. Salazar, Blanca Rojas, Raquel Yubero, Pedro Gil, Alberto Triviño and José M. Ramírez

Over the last few decades, the importance of ophthalmic examination in neurodegenerative diseases of the CNS has reportedly increased. The retina is an extension of the CNS and thus should not be surprising to find abnormal results in both the test exploring visual processing and those examining the retina of patients with CNS degeneration. Current in vivo imaging techniques are allowing ophthalmologists to detect and quantify data consistent with the histopathological findings described in the retinas of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and may help to reveal unsuspected retinal and optic‐nerve repercussions of other CNS diseases. In this chapter, we perform an analysis of the physiological changes in ocular and cerebral ageing. We analyse the ocular manifestations in CNS disorders such as stroke, AD and Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the pathophysiology of both the eye and the visual pathway in AD are described. The value of the visual psychophysical tests in AD diagnosis is reviewed as well as the main findings of the optical coherence tomography as a contribution to the diagnosis and monitoring of the disease. Finally, we examine the association of two neurodegenerative diseases, AD and glaucoma, as mere coincidence or possible role in the progression of the neurodegeneration.

Part of the book: Update on Dementia

By Juan J. Salazar, Ana I. Ramírez, Rosa De Hoz, Elena Salobrar-Garcia, Pilar Rojas, José A. Fernández-Albarral, Inés López-Cuenca, Blanca Rojas, Alberto Triviño and José M. Ramírez

The optic nerve (ON) is constituted by the axons of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). These axons are distributed in an organized pattern from the soma of the RGC to the lateral geniculated nucleus (where most of the neurons synapse). The key points of the ON are the optic nerve head and chiasm. This chapter will include a detailed and updated review of the ON different parts: RGC axons, glial cells, connective tissue of the lamina cribrosa and the septum and the blood vessels derivate from the central retina artery and from the ciliary system. There will be an up-to-date description about the superficial nerve fibre layer, including their organization, and about prelaminar, laminar and retrolaminar regions, emphasizing the axoplasmic flow, glial barriers, biomechanics of the lamina cribrosa and the role of the macro- and microglia in their working.

Part of the book: Optic Nerve

By Pilar Rojas, Ana I. Ramírez, Rosa de Hoz, Manuel Cadena, Elena Salobrar-García, Inés López-Cuenca, José A. Fernández-Albarral, Lidia Sanchez-Puebla, José Antonio Matamoros, Juan J. Salazar and José M. Ramírez

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that severely impairs the patient’s mobility, as it mainly affects the upper and lower motor neurons in the spinal cord. In addition, alterations have also been demonstrated in different parts of the central nervous system (CNS), such as the brain and brainstem. The retina is a projection to the brain and is considered as a “window” to the CNS. Moreover, it is possible to use the retina as a biomarker in several neurodegenerative diseases, even in the absence of major visual impairment. Classically, it was thought that the eyes were not affected in ALS, with respect to extraocular muscles, whereas the remainder of the muscles of the body were distressed. Nevertheless, retinal changes have recently been found in this pathology and could help in diagnosis, follow-up, and even monitoring therapies in this disease.

Part of the book: Animal Models and Experimental Research in Medicine