Abstract
Presentation Description :
Aging decreases tearing. We have hypothesized that the anti-aging approach may recover tearing, which has been proven to be true. Exercise, calorie restriction, a diet rich in antioxidants, and a healthy microbiome can maintain normal tearing in the dry eye model mouse. Recently developed DREADD (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) technology has enabled us to confirm that the superior salivary nucleus is the functional center for tearing. Although pain and tearing are closely associated, we found that both function differently. Finally, the well-known correlation between dry eye and depression prompted us to create an unhappy mouse (stressed model), normal mouse and happy mouse (enriched environment) to investigate the effect on tearing. The happy mice could maintain tearing through the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) axis, although the stressed mice lost tearing. In the aggregate, these data suggest that dry eye is treatable through anti-aging approaches."
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.