Space-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and Identifying Certain Brain Circuits Responsible For Visual Acuity

 

Dr. Tyson Brunstetter (NASA Johnson Space Center - Houston, TX)

Dr. Farran Briggs (National Eye Institute - Bethesda, MD)

Dr. Tyson Brunstetter, NASA Johnson Space Center Clinical Lead In Eyes and Vision, discusses SANS, Space-associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, which can affect the vision of astronauts, with the movement of fluids in the eyes and brain in microgravity.

Then, Dr. Farran Briggs, Senior Investigator in the Thalamocortical Visual Processing Section and the Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, explains research identifying certain brain circuits responsible for visual acuity in ferrets by studying neurons along the X and Y pathways in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN).

9/21/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Vision Loss and Falls Leading To Greater Mortality Risk And Female Sex Hormones Affect On RP In Mice

Dr. Shu Xu (University of Michigan Institute For Social Research - Ann Arbor, MI)

Dr. Katherine Wert (University of Texas - Southwestern - Dallas, TX)

Ashley Rowe (University of Texas - Southwestern - Dallas, TX)

Dr. Shu Xu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan Institute For Social Research, discusses the relationship among vision loss, falls, and mortality risk for seniors.

Dr. Katherine Wert, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology with a secondary affiliation in the Department of Molecular Biology, and Ashley Rowe, Graduate Student, Wert Lab, at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, go over how female sex hormones affect the progression of retinitis pigmentosa in mice.

9/7/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)