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.
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.
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
- Assessing Retinal Thickness and Associations with Cognitive Function in Women with History of Preeclampsia.; Eye and brain; Vol 18, pp. 1-11. 2026 Jan 12.
- Robust averaging of emotional faces and its association with psychotic-like experiences and social connection.; Scientific reports. 2026 Jan 10.
- Reduced interpersonal head synchrony in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis.; Psychological medicine; Vol 55, pp. e387. 2025 Dec 29.
- Starting from scratch: Ziermans et al. commentary.; Schizophrenia research. Cognition; Vol 44, pp. 100414. 2025 Dec 10.
- Complex PTSD among persons with serious mental illness receiving community mental health services.; Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England). 2025 Nov 21.
Contact Us
Center for Retina and Brain (CRAB)
University of Rochester Medical Center
300 Crittenden Boulevard
Rochester, NY, 14642
Center for Retina and Brain
