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Research 23Glaucoma research: protecting thenerve cellsAs many of you will know, glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve, which sends signals from the eye to the brain, becomes damaged. Research into glaucoma is revealing many factors which might contribute to this nerve damage %u2013 mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and scarring are all topics of articles in this section.Relatively recently, researchers have also started exploring neuroprotection, or protecting the nerve cells from damage. Retinal ganglion cells, which are crucial in sending the signal from the eye to the brain, are the most common target. If we can protect retinal ganglion cells, we can prevent vision loss due to glaucoma. To prevent damage, researchers need to know the mechanisms behind the damage in the first place, and what%u2019s happening within cells to cause this. Visual cortexEyeSpinal cordCell bodyAxonOptic MyelinnerveAlong optic nerveTo brainVisual informationRetinal ganglion cellMotor neuron cellBrainAlong spinal cordSimplified diagram showing some of the similarities between retinal ganglion cells and motor neuron cells