Relationships Between Diabetic Retinal Neuropathies and Vascular Pathologies in Diabetic Retinopathy
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 13
Special Issue Editors
Interests: retinal ischemic diseasees; diabetic retinopathy; diabetic retinal neuropathy; retinal detachment; retinal ganglion cells; neurodegeneration; retinal vasculature; inflammation; microglia
Interests: diabetic retinopathy; diabetic macular edema (DME); stroke; retinal vasculature; vascular permeability; endothelial cells; blood–brain barrier; blood–retina barrier; tight junctions; occuldin; cell signaling; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); norrin
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue seeks to explore the mechanistic relationships between retinal neuronal defects and retina vascular defects that occur in diabetic patients and diabetic animal models prior to and during the course of diabetic retinophathy.
Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) is characterized by vascular defects and macular edema (DME), but diabetic retinal neuropathy (DRN), including inner retinal thinning and changes to photoreceptors, also occurs in diabetic patients and animal models prior to the onset of apparent vascular defects. The implications of preceding, or coinciding, neurodegenerative changes to the risks and progression of diabetic retinopathy are unclear. The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together reviews and studies from thought leaders in the fields of diabetic retinal neuropathy and diabetic vascular disease so as to explore the potential connections between neurodegeneration and the vascular defects that characterize clinical diabetic retinopathy.
Potential topics include the following: (1) early changes in visual function and retinal blood flow in diabetes, including the effects of diabetes on neurovascular coupling and the neurovascular unit (NVU); (2) temporal and spacial associations between retina neural functions and vascular defects in diabetes; (3) causal relationships between retinal neuronal and vascular pathologies in diabetes; (4) the effects of diabetic retinal neuropathy on risks of onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy; (5) the effects of diabetes on retinal neurons, including photoreceptors; (6) the mechanisms by which photoreceptors affect diabetic retinopathy risk and pathology; (7) the effects of neuropathy and vascular pathology on visual functions; (8) the interactions between inflammation, neurodegeneration, and vascular pathology in diabetic retinopathy; (9) the effect of neuroprotective treatments on diabetic retinopathy; and (10) the effects of targeting vascular pathologies on visual and neuronal functions in retinal disease.
Prof. Dr. Steven Abcouwer
Prof. Dr. David A. Antonetti
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- retinal neurons
- retinal vasculature
- diabetic retinopathy
- diabetic macular edema (DME)
- neurovascular coupling
- neurovascular unit (NVU)
- diabetic vascular pathology
- diabetic retinal neuropathy
- diabetic retinal neurodegeneration
- retinal thinning in diabetes
- photoreceptor pathology in diabetes
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