Woman scanning eye in machine

Welcome to the Center for Retina and Brain (CRAB)

At the Center for Retina and Brain (CRAB), we study the ways that changes in the brain from aging, disease, and injury affect the eye, and whether eye measurements can help us screen for, and understand, changes in the brain. Our hope is that learning about these changes will allow us to provide better screening, diagnostic, and predictive tools to help people with a range of neurological and psychiatric conditions.

We are located in the Department of Psychiatry, and we collaborate with teams across the university and study a wide range of psychological and medical conditions.
Learn more about our current research projects

Our collaborators include faculty from Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Radiology, Cardiology, Emergency Medicine and the Institute for Data Science.
Learn more about us.

Introduction to the Retina | Animator: Sophia Chen

Visual examples of retinal variables

Learn more about retinal variables affected by schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders conditions.

Interested in Participating in our Research?

^{Flash electroretinography (ERG)}

Eyeing the Link Between Heart and Brain Health

Exploring the use of retinal biomarkers to study delirium risk and the neural and neurovascular basis for delirium, as well as its subsequent cognitive and functional outcomes.

^{Superficial retinal vascular layer as imaged by optical coherence tomography angiography}

Retinal Vasculopathy as a Proxy for Cerebral Vascular Health

Evaluating changes in retinal microvasculature as a biomarker of changes in cerebral blood flow and cognition in heart failure patients.

^{Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)}

Retinal Vasculopathy as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Disease and Risk in Individuals with Early Psychosis

Examines microvascular changes that impact cardiovascular health in early psychosis.

View All Research Projects

Research Team

Steven Silverstein, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry

Judy L. Thompson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry

Brian Keane, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry

Joy Choi, MD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry

Mark Oldham, MD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry

Rajeev S. Ramchandran, MD, MBA
Associate Professor, Ophthalmology

View All Research Team Members

Recent Publications

View Full List of Publications (2016-present)

1. Mamidipalli SS
2. Franco A
3. Duraisamy J
4. Segu AD
5. Kondapuram N
6. Salim SM
7. Demirlek C
8. Lizano P
9. Silverstein SM
10. Tikka SK
Retinal Biomarkers of Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.; Harvard review of psychiatry. 2026 Oct 07.
1. Dodell-Feder D
2. Gibbs K
3. Silverstein SM
4. I Tamir D
Social-Cognitive Frameworks for Understanding the Connection Between Social Isolation and Psychosis Risk.; Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. 2026 Sep 30.
1. Stefanelli R
2. Oliver D
3. Damiani S
4. Orlandi M
5. Provenzani U
6. Bortolin E
7. Rovida M
8. Addington J
9. Alameda L
10. Arango C
11. Breitborde NJ
12. Broome M
13. Cadenhead KS
14. Calkins ME
15. Carrion RE
16. Castillo-Passi RI
17. Chen YHE
18. Choi J
19. Conus P
20. Cornblatt BA
21. Díaz-Caneja CM
22. Ellman LM
23. Gaspar PA
24. Gerber C
25. Birkedal Glenthøj L
26. Horton LE
27. Hui CL
28. Kambeitz J
29. Kambeitz-Ilankovic L
30. Keshavan MS
31. Kim M
32. Kim SW
33. Koutsouleris N
34. Kwon JS
35. Langbein K
36. Mamah D
37. Mathalon DH
38. Mittal VA
39. Nordentoft M
40. Pearlson GD
41. Penzel N
42. Perez J
43. Perkins DO
44. Powers AR
45. Rogers JR
46. Sabb FW
47. Schiffman J
48. Shah J
49. Silverstein SM
50. Smesny S
51. Stone WS
52. Strauss GP
53. Thompson JL
54. Upthegrove R
55. Verma S
56. Wang J
57. Wolf DH
58. Zhang T
59. Bouix S
60. Corcoran CM
61. Kapur T
62. Pasternak O
63. Bearden C
64. Kahn RS
65. Kane JM
66. McGorry PD
67. Nelson B
68. Shenton ME
69. Woods SW
70. Fusar-Poli P
External validation and refinement of the Psychosis Polyrisk Score to detect individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis.; BMJ mental health; Vol 29(1). 2026 Sep 28.
1. Winsler K
2. Barch DM
3. Boudewyn MA
4. Carter CS
5. Erickson MA
6. Frank MJ
7. Gold JM
8. MacDonald AW
9. Ragland JD
10. Silverstein SM
11. Yonelinas AP
12. Luck SJ
Reliability of computational versus noncomputational metrics of working memory and episodic memory in serious mental illness.; Journal of psychopathology and clinical science. 2026 Sep 21.
1. Türközer HB
2. Wagner SK
3. Lizano P
4. Silverstein SM
The eye as a canary in the coal mine: oculomics for psychiatry.; Molecular psychiatry. 2026 Sep 18.

Contact Us

Center for Retina and Brain (CRAB)

University of Rochester Medicine
Department of Psychiatry
300 Crittenden Boulevard
Rochester, NY, 14642
Center for Retina and Brain

women patient smiling getting set up with testing machine by another person