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Collaborative Study to Look at a Potential Mechanism for Photophobia

The Carver College of Medicine has announced the funding of a collaborative grant to faculty from the Departments of Physiology, Ophthalmology and Neurology. The Carver Collaborative Grant Committee has awarded $40,500 over a two-year period to Andrew Russo, PhD (Molecular Physiology and Biophysics) in collaboration with Randy H. Kardon, MD, PhD (Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences) and Ana Recober-Montilla, MD (Neurology). The group will study the role of a neuropeptide that may be involved in the cause of light sensitivity (photophobia).

Photophobia is a debilitating disorder that occurs as both a primary symptom and in association with other conditions such as migraine. Headache and photophobia are common debilitating symptoms, and the pathophysiology is not understood.

The group hopes to answer the question: “Is the neuropeptide CGRP involved in the pathogenesis of photophobia in traumatic brain injury?” They will look at calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), the major neuropeptide of the trigeminal nerve which has been implicated in animal models of photophobia. In recent years, there has been a large increase in the occurrence of photophobia with at least 50% of patients with traumatic brain injury experiencing light sensitivity, including many veterans exposed to blast injury.