Comparative Study of Fibrillar Collagen Arrangement in the Corneas of Primates and Other Mammals
Open Access
- 23 October 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in The Anatomical Record
- Vol. 290 (12), 1542-1550
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.20613
Abstract
This study is a comparative study of the relationship between corneal structure, morphology, and function in a range of mammalian species. X‐ray scattering patterns were gathered at regular spatial intervals over the excised cornea (and in most cases also the scleral rim) of humans, marmosets, horses, cows, pigs, rabbits, and mice. All patterns were analyzed to produce quantitative information regarding the predominant orientation of fibrillar collagen throughout the tissue. The predominant direction of corneal collagen varies between mammals. This variation is not related to the size, shape, or thickness of the cornea or the frequency with which the animal blinks. A relationship does, however, appear to exist between corneal collagen arrangement and visual acuity. An excess of collagen directed toward one or both sets of opposing rectus muscles is a feature of animals that have an intermediate to high level of visual acuity. There is a significant variation in the arrangement of corneal collagen between different mammalian species. This finding may be related to differences in the frequency of action and the forces generated by the various extraocular muscles during eye movement and image fixation. Anat Rec, 2007.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- A paraxial schematic eye model for the growing C57BL/6 mouseVision Research, 2004
- Spatial mapping of collagen fibril organisation in primate cornea—an X-ray diffraction investigationJournal of Structural Biology, 2004
- X-Ray Scattering Used to Map the Preferred Collagen Orientation in the Human Cornea and LimbusStructure, 2004
- Visual factors in sound localization in mammalsJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1992
- The organisation of collagen fibrils in the human corneal stroma: A synchrotron X-ray diffraction studyCurrent Eye Research, 1987
- The mechanical properties of the rabbit and human corneaJournal of Biomechanics, 1986
- Composition and properties of connective tissuesTrends in Biochemical Sciences, 1985
- Structural implications of small-angle light scattering from corneaExperimental Eye Research, 1982
- A quantitative comparison between the ganglion cell populations and axonal outflows of the visual streak and periphery of the rabbit retinaJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1980
- Über mechanisch-funktionelle Strukturen des AugesAlbrecht von Graefes Archiv für Ophthalmologie, 1938