Center for Retina and Brain (CRAB) - University of Rochester Medical Center

Woman scanning eye in machine

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

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. Bilgrami ZR
2. Castro E
3. Agurto C
4. Liebenthal E
5. Ennis M
6. Baker JT
7. Scott I
8. Colton BL
9. Cho KIK
10. Li L
11. Tamayo Z
12. Henecks M
13. Rahimi Eichi H
14. Henry T
15. Addington J
16. Alameda LK
17. Arango C
18. Breitborde NJK
19. Broome MR
20. Cadenhead KS
21. Calkins ME
22. Chen EYH
23. Choi J
24. Conus P
25. Cornblatt BA
26. Ellman LM
27. Fusar-Poli P
28. Gaspar PA
29. Gerber C
30. Glenthøj LB
31. Horton LE
32. Hui C
33. Kambeitz J
34. Kambeitz-Ilankovic L
35. Keshavan MS
36. Kim SW
37. Koutsouleris N
38. Kwon JS
39. Langbein K
40. Mamah D
41. Diaz-Caneja CM
42. Mathalon DH
43. Mittal VA
44. Nordentoft M
45. Pearlson GD
46. Perez J
47. Perkins DO
48. Powers AR
49. Rogers J
50. Sabb FW
51. Schiffman J
52. Shah JL
53. Silverstein SM
54. Smesny S
55. Stone WS
56. Yassin W
57. Strauss GP
58. Thompson JL
59. Upthegrove R
60. Verma S
61. Wang J
62. Wolf DH
63. McGorry PD
64. Kahn RS
65. Kane JM
66. Anticevic A
67. Bearden CE
68. Dwyer D
69. Billah T
70. Bouix S
71. Pasternak O
72. Shenton ME
73. Woods SW
74. Nelson B
75. Cecchi GA
76. Corcoran CM
77. Wolff PM
Collecting language, speech acoustics, and facial expression to predict psychosis and other clinical outcomes: strategies from the AMP® SCZ initiative.; Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany); Vol 11(1), pp. 125. 2025 Oct 15.
1. Farina EA
2. Mourgues-Codern C
3. Stimler K
4. Kenney J
5. Saxena A
6. Mukhtar H
7. Addington J
8. Bearden CE
9. Cadenhead KS
10. Cannon TD
11. Cornblatt B
12. Ellman L
13. Gold J
14. Keshavan M
15. Mathalon DH
16. Mittal VA
17. Perkins DO
18. Schiffman J
19. Silverstein SM
20. Strauss GP
21. Stone WS
22. Walker EF
23. Waltz J
24. Corlett P
25. Powers AR
26. Woods SW
Shift in sex and age of individuals at a clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis: relation to differences in recruitment methods and effect on sample characteristics.; Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany); Vol 11(1), pp. 123. 2025 Oct 06.
1. Addington J
2. Shalev A
3. Liu L
4. Jahraus C
5. Chu M
6. Farina E
7. Fusar Poli P
8. Marcy PJ
9. Nunez AR
10. Calkins ME
11. Alameda L
12. Arango C
13. Borders O
14. Bouix S
15. Breitborde NJK
16. Broome MR
17. Cadenhead KS
18. Carrion RE
19. Castillo-Passi RI
20. Chen EYH
21. Choi J
22. Coleman MJ
23. Conus P
24. Corcoran CM
25. Diaz-Caneja CM
26. Ellman LM
27. Gaspar PA
28. Gerber C
29. Glenthøj LB
30. Horton LE
31. Hui CLM
32. Kambeitz J
33. Kambeitz-Ilankovic L
34. Kapur T
35. Kelly S
36. Kerr MJ
37. Keshavan MS
38. Kim M
39. Kim SW
40. Koutsouleris N
41. Kwon JS
42. Langbein K
43. Lewandowski KE
44. Mamah D
45. Mathalon DH
46. Mittal VA
47. Mourgues C
48. Nordentoft M
49. Pasternak O
50. Pearlson GD
51. Penzel N
52. Perez J
53. Perkins DO
54. Powers AR
55. Rogers J
56. Sabb FW
57. Schiffman J
58. Seitz-Holland J
59. Shah JL
60. Silverstein SM
61. Smesny S
62. Stone WS
63. Strauss GP
64. Thompson JL
65. Upthegrove R
66. Verma S
67. Wang J
68. Wolf DH
69. Yung AR
70. Zhang T
71. Addamo L
72. Buccilli K
73. Todd S
74. Dwyer D
75. Bearden CE
76. Kane JM
77. McGorry PD
78. Kahn RS
79. Shenton ME
80. Woods SW
Sample Ascertainment and Recruitment Sources in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia Program.; Schizophrenia bulletin open; Vol 6(1), pp. sgaf013. 2025 Aug 25.
1. Addington J
2. Liu L
3. Chu M
4. Jungert K
5. Penzel N
6. Pasternak O
7. Farina E
8. Carrion RE
9. Corcoran CM
10. Mittal VA
11. Strauss GP
12. Yung AR
13. Alameda L
14. Arango C
15. Borders O
16. Bouix S
17. Breitborde NJK
18. Broome MR
19. Cadenhead KS
20. Castillo-Passi RI
21. Chen EYH
22. Choi J
23. Coleman MJ
24. Conus P
25. Diaz-Caneja CM
26. Ellman LM
27. Poli PF
28. Gaspar PA
29. Gerber C
30. Glenthøj LB
31. Horton LE
32. Hui CLM
33. Kambeitz J
34. Kambeitz-Ilankovic L
35. Kapur T
36. Kelly S
37. Kerr MJ
38. Keshavan MS
39. Kim M
40. Kim SW
41. Koutsouleris N
42. Kwon JS
43. Langbein K
44. Lewandowski KE
45. Mamah D
46. Marcy PJ
47. Mathalon DH
48. Mourgues C
49. Nordentoft M
50. Nunez AR
51. Pearlson GD
52. Perez J
53. Perkins DO
54. Powers AR
55. Rogers J
56. Sabb FW
57. Schiffman J
58. Seitz-Holland J
59. Shah JL
60. Silverstein SM
61. Smesny S
62. Stone WS
63. Thompson JL
64. Upthegrove R
65. Verma S
66. Wang J
67. Wolf DH
68. Zhang T
69. Addamo L
70. Buccilli K
71. Dwyer D
72. Todd S
73. Cho YT
74. Fontenau C
75. Tamayo Z
76. Bearden CE
77. Kane JM
78. McGorry PD
79. Kahn RS
80. Shenton ME
81. Woods SW
82. Calkins ME
Baseline Clinical Characterization of Participants in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia Program.; Schizophrenia bulletin open; Vol 6(1), pp. sgaf012. 2025 Aug 25.
1. Williams TF
2. Gold JM
3. Waltz JA
4. Schiffman J
5. Ellman LM
6. Strauss GP
7. Walker EF
8. Woods SW
9. Powers AR
10. Kenney J
11. Pappu MK
12. Corlett PR
13. Tran T
14. Silverstein SM
15. Zinbarg RE
16. Mittal VA
Identifying individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis using a battery of tasks sensitive to symptom mechanisms.; Translational psychiatry; Vol 15(1), pp. 311. 2025 Aug 23.

Contact Us

Center for Retina and Brain (CRAB)

University of Rochester Medical Center
300 Crittenden Boulevard
Rochester, NY, 14642
Center for Retina and Brain

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