Poster preview
ePoster
PROMOTING FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION OF ORGANIC RETINAL PROSTHESES THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT
Edoardo Porzanoand 7 co-authors
Italian Institute of Technology
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS02-07PM-650
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS02-07PM-650
Event Information
Poster Board
PS02-07PM-650
Poster
View posterAbstract
Retinal prostheses have been shown to be a promising strategy for restoring visual perception in advanced stages of photoreceptor degeneration. However, the efficacy of these devices is limited by the ability of the remodelled visual system to process artificial inputs. Here, we investigated whether boosting neural plasticity through environmental enrichment (EE) could improve the therapeutic outcome of subretinal organic prostheses. Rd10 mice, a model of Retinitis pigmentosa, were injected with a liquid retina prosthesis made of photoactive poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanoparticles (P3HT-NPs) into the subretinal space. Following surgery, a cohort of animals was housed in EE conditions to stimulate sensory-motor pathways and social interactions. We assessed the synergistic effect of P3HT-NPs and EE via in vivo behavioural tasks and electrophysiological recordings of visually evoked potentials. Our results show that animals receiving both the organic prosthesis and EE display significantly enhanced visual responsiveness compared to prosthesis-treated mice maintained under standard housing conditions. These findings demonstrate a synergistic interaction between organic nanotechnology and non-invasive rehabilitation strategies. Overall, our study highlights the critical role of promoting retinal and cortical plasticity in maximizing functional recovery mediated by retinal prosthetic devices.
Recommended posters
NON-INVASIVE REHABILITATION OF LIGHT SENSITIVITY AND VISUAL ACUITY IN ANIMAL MODELS OF RETINAL DEGENERATION USING PHOTOSWITCHABLE DRUGS
Santiago Milla-Navarro, Joaquín Martínez-Tambella, Rosalba Sortino, Jordi Hernando, Núria Camarero, Carlo Matero, Pedro de la Villa, Pau Gorostiza
LIGHT-DRIVEN CORTICAL STIMULATION BY P3HT NANOPARTICLES RESTORES VISUAL RESPONSES IN THE RD10 MOUSE MODEL OF BLINDNESS
Giulia Mantero, Simona Francia, Lorenzo Ciano, Alessia Gestro, Sebastian Sulis Sato, Fabio Benfenati, Elisabetta Colombo
HYBRID SYNAPSE FOR VISION RESTORATION
Francesca Vacca, Tomaso Gianiorio, Giulia Mantero, Edoardo Porzano, Marcin Gwiazda, Alessia Gestro, Stefano Di Marco, Alex Cook, Jan van Hest, Francesco De Angelis, Fabio Benfenati, Elisabetta Colombo
OPTOGENETIC RESTORATION OF LIGHT SENSITIVITY IN THE DEGENERATING RETINA
Beyza Bozkurt, Anna-Lena Linke, Ida Siveke, Dirk Jancke
MODIFICATION OF NATURALISTIC STIMULI FOR RESTORING NATURAL RESPONSES IN OPTOGENETIC ACTIVATION OF RETINAL GANGLION CELLS
Blossom Wing Sum Cheung, Tim Gollisch
RESTORATION OF VISUAL ACUITY AND VISUALLY GUIDED BEHAVIOR IN AMBIENT WHITE LIGHT WITH PHOTOSWITCHABLE SMALL MOLECULES
Rosalba Sortino, Aleix González-Díez, Santiago Milla-Navarro, Joaquín Martínez-Tambella, Víctor Paleo-García, Eric Calatayud, Paula de Saralegui, Ekin Opar, Àlvar Claparols, Josecarlo A. Quintanilla, Xavier Martínez-Soler, Fabio Riefolo, Carlo Matera, Jordi Hernando, Alexandre M. J. Gomila, Gerard Pérez-Batlle, Carles Pereira, Núria Camarero, Carme Serra, Xavier Gómez-Santacana, Amadeu Llebaria, Xavier Rovira, Pedro de la Villa, Pau Gorostiza