The Ocular And Cerebrospinal Fluids

This volume presents the latest findings regarding the control of the fluid environments of the eye and brain. The book is comprised of papers presented at a symposium honoring the 80th birthday of Professor Hugh Davson. The contributors are previous students of Hugh Davson who are now leading authorities in the fields of the eye and brain. The eye is considered from its many interfaces, including the role of prostaglandins, blood flow in diabetes, and the vitreous body. Other topics discussed include the role of carbonic anhydrase, cerebrospinal fluid and its drainage, and the development of the blood/brain barrier to macromolecules. The book also shows how recent findings about homologous molecules refute earlier studies with foreign tracers, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the future with a description of the latest imaging techniques used in neurological diagnosis.

The chapters in this contributed volume showcase current theoretical approaches in the modeling of ocular fluid dynamics in health and disease. By including chapters written by experts from a variety of fields, this volume will help foster a genuinely collaborative spirit between clinical and research scientists. It vividly illustrates the advantages of clinical and experimental methods, data-driven modeling, and physically-based modeling, while also detailing the limitations of each approach. Blood, aqueous humor, vitreous humor, tear film, and cerebrospinal fluid each have a section dedicated to their anatomy and physiology, pathological conditions, imaging techniques, and mathematical modeling. Because each fluid receives a thorough analysis from experts in their respective fields, this volume stands out among the existing ophthalmology literature. Ocular Fluid Dynamics is ideal for current and future graduate students in applied mathematics and ophthalmology who wish to explore the field by investigating open questions, experimental technologies, and mathematical models. It will also be a valuable resource for researchers in mathematics, engineering, physics, computer science, chemistry, ophthalmology, and more.

The second volume of the Handbook does not parallel any volume of the first edition; it is one more sign, or reflection, of the expansion of the field. By emphasizing the experimental approach, it illustrates the tools that have re cently become available for investigating the nervous system. Also, perhaps even more than other volumes, it illustrates the multidisciplinary nature of the field, requiring multidisciplinary methodology. It is now recognized that the availability of methodology is often the rate-limiting determinant of studies and that improvements or innovations in instrumentation can open up new avenues. A new improved method, although opening up new possibilities and being crucial to making advances, is only a tool whose use will determine its use fulness. If we do not recognize its possibilities, its use will be limited; if we do not recognize its limitations, it will mislead us. It is the possibilities and limitations and the results obtained that are illustrated here.

Prolonged microgravity exposure during long-duration spaceflight (LDSF) produces unusual physiologic and pathologic neuro-ophthalmic findings in astronauts. These microgravity-associated findings collectively define the Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). In this book, the editors compare and contrast prior published work on SANS by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Medicine Operations Division with retrospective and prospective studies from other research groups. The book describes the possible mechanisms and potential etiologies for SANS, and provides an update and review on the clinical manifestations of SANS including: unilateral and bilateral optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal and retinal folds, hyperopic refractive error shifts, and focal areas of ischemic retina (i.e., cotton wool spots). The ocular imaging findings (e.g., retinal nerve fiber layer, optic disc, and choroidal changes on optical coherence tomography) of SANS is also described, including the intraorbital and intracranial findings on orbital ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. The knowledge gaps for in-flight and terrestrial human research including potential countermeasures for future stud is also explored, including reports on the in-flight and terrestrial human and animal research being investigated by NASA and its partners to study SANS both prospectively and longitudinally and in preparation for future long duration manned missions to space including the moon, the asteroid belt, or Mars. We think this is a unique topic and hope that NASA and its research partners continue to study SANS in preparation for future longer duration manned space missions. Written in an easy-to-read manner, the book adopts a translational approach and explores the science and the clinical manifestations of Space flight associated neuro-ocular syndrome. It is also multi-disciplinary and suitable for both clinicians and researchers in ophthalmology, neurology, and aerospace medicine interested in SANS SANS is a unique space flight disorder that has no terrestrial equivalent. The book involves contributions from international experts across multiple disciplines to tackle the problem of SANS Summarizes and reviews the current findings of SANS, including possible mechanisms and potential etiologies, clinical manifestations, current reports on the in-flight and terrestrial human and animal research, and ocular imaging findings