Optic nerve firing may spark growth of vision-threatening childhood tumor

(NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) In a study of mice, researchers showed how the act of seeing light may trigger the formation of vision-harming tumors in young children who are born with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome. The research team, funded by the National Institutes of Health, focused on tumors that grow within the optic nerve, which relays visual signals from the eyes to brain. They discovered that the neural activity which underlies these signals can both ignite and feed the tumors.
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news