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. Alliende LM
2. Voigt R
3. Hoffman M
4. Strauss GP
5. Ellman LM
6. Walker EF
7. Corlett P
8. Schiffman J
9. Woods SW
10. Powers A
11. Silverstein SM
12. Waltz JA
13. Zinbarg R
14. Chen S
15. Williams TF
16. Kenney J
17. Gold JM
18. Mittal VA
Large language models can supplement the assessment of clinical high risk for psychosis.; Journal of psychopathology and clinical science. 2026 Aug 06.
1. Silverstein SM
2. Zolnik T
3. Larkum M
4. Thompson JL
Apical integration theory provides a neural basis for understanding disorganization and consciousness in the schizophrenias.; Current research in neurobiology; Vol 11, pp. 100165. 2026 Jul 24.
1. Anderson Z
2. Pokorny V
3. Kenney J
4. Gold JM
5. Waltz JA
6. Schiffman J
7. Ellman LM
8. Walker EF
9. Corlett PR
10. Woods SW
11. Powers AR
12. Silverstein SM
13. Strauss GP
14. Mittal VA
The effect of monetary versus point-based rewards on effort-cost decision making in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis.; Schizophrenia research; Vol 296, pp. 155-162. 2026 Jul 20.
1. Wastler HM
2. Moe A
3. Blouin AM
4. Bozzay M
5. Kilicoglu MFV
6. Arango C
7. Bouix S
8. Broome MR
9. Calkins ME
10. Conus P
11. Corcoran CM
12. Crawford C
13. Diaz-Caneja CM
14. Damiani S
15. Fusar-Poli P
16. Keshavan MS
17. Mittal VA
18. Nguyen J
19. Schiffman J
20. Shah JL
21. Yassin W
22. Yung A
23. Addington J
24. Alameda L
25. Cadenhead KS
26. Carrion RE
27. Castillo-Passi RI
28. Chen EYH
29. Choi J
30. Cornblatt BA
31. Ellman LM
32. Gaspar PA
33. Gerber C
34. Glenthøj LB
35. Horton LE
36. Hui CLM
37. Kambeitz J
38. Kambeitz-Ilankovic L
39. Kim M
40. Kim SW
41. Koutsouleris N
42. Kwon JS
43. Langbein K
44. Mamah D
45. Mathalon DH
46. Nordentoft M
47. Pearlson GD
48. Perez J
49. Perkins DO
50. Powers Iii AR
51. Rogers J
52. Sabb FW
53. Silverstein SM
54. Smesny S
55. Stone WS
56. Strauss GP
57. Thompson JL
58. Upthegrove R
59. Verma S
60. Wang J
61. Wolf DH
62. Zhang T
63. Pasternak O
64. Kahn RS
65. Shenton ME
66. McGorry PD
67. Nelson B
68. Kane JM
69. Bearden CE
70. Woods SW
71. Breitborde N
Relationship among Sleep Disturbance, Stress, and Suicidal Ideation in Clinical High Risk for Psychosis.; Schizophrenia bulletin open; Vol 7(1), pp. sgag024. 2026 Jul 08.
1. Boudewyn MA
2. Erickson MA
3. Winsler K
4. Barch DM
5. Frank MJ
6. Gold JM
7. Luck SJ
8. MacDonald AW
9. Ragland JD
10. Silverstein SM
11. Yonelinas A
12. Carter CS
Distinct Attentional Control Profiles during Language Comprehension in Major Mental Health Disorders.; Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. 2026 Jul 07.

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