Developmental abnormalities associated with the hypopigmented retina

The albino visual system is characterised by a range of abnormalities including a severe rod deficit, an underdevelopment of the central retina and a misprojection of a portion of the temporal ganglion cells. During development of the retina levels of proliferation and apoptosis are elevated, and the maturational gradient is delayed. During my PhD I systematically characterised the nature of these developmental abnormalities and examined the effects of L-DOPA (a precursor in melanin/dopamine synthesis pathways that is thought to be depleted in the albino retina) on patterns of cell division. The findings were consistent with a model in which reduced levels of L-DOPA in the albino retina lead to spatiotemporal defects in patterns of cell division, potentially as a result of secondary consequences on concentrations of retinal dopamine.