Reduced Functional and Anatomic Interhemispheric Homotopic Connectivity in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Combined Resting State-fMRI and DTI Study.
Wang Qian, Chen Weiwei, Wang Huaizhou, Zhang Xun, Qu Xiaoxia, Wang Ying, Li Ting, Wang Ningli, Xian Junfang
AI Summary
Glaucoma patients showed reduced brain connectivity between visual areas, both functionally and anatomically. This reduction correlated with retinal nerve damage, suggesting glaucoma affects the brain's visual processing.
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate if abnormal interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity were accompanied by corresponding anatomic connectivity changes in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients, and to relate connectivity changes with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness.
Methods
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were performed in 16 POAG patients and 19 healthy controls. Indices of interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity and the underlying anatomic connectivity changes were derived with voxel-base whole-brain voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) analyses and VMHC-guided probabilistic tractography. Pearson correlation analyses were used to explore the correlations between interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity changes and anatomic connectivity alterations, and RNFL and GCC thickness.
Results
Reduced VMHC values between bilateral homotopic cortical areas located in Brodmann area (BA)17, BA18, and BA19. Decreased anatomic connectivity connecting bilateral visual cortical areas inside BA17 and BA18 were observed in POAG patients. Furthermore, positive correlations between average RNFL thickness and reduced VMHC values of BA17 (r = 0.572, P = 0.021)/BA18 (r = 0.600, P = 0.014)/BA19 (r = 0.550, P = 0.027) are found using Pearson correlation analyses.
Conclusions
Combinations of interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity and anatomic connectivity changes may help to elucidate the mechanism of interhemispheric synchronization injury in POAG patients. Reduced VMHC values positively correlate with glaucomatous changes of RNFL thickness, which strengthens the hypothesis that POAG affects the visual cortex using a novel functional MRI characteristic.
MeSH Terms
Shields Classification
Key Concepts5
Reduced voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) values were observed between bilateral homotopic cortical areas located in Brodmann area (BA)17, BA18, and BA19 in 16 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients compared to 19 healthy controls.
Decreased anatomic connectivity connecting bilateral visual cortical areas inside Brodmann area (BA)17 and BA18 were observed in 16 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients compared to 19 healthy controls.
Positive correlations were found between average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and reduced voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) values of Brodmann area (BA)17 (r = 0.572, P = 0.021), BA18 (r = 0.600, P = 0.014), and BA19 (r = 0.550, P = 0.027) in 16 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.
Combinations of interhemispheric homotopic functional connectivity and anatomic connectivity changes may help to elucidate the mechanism of interhemispheric synchronization injury in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.
Reduced voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) values positively correlate with glaucomatous changes of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, which strengthens the hypothesis that primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) affects the visual cortex using a novel functional MRI characteristic.
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