Changes of Radial Diffusivity and Fractional Anisotropy in the Optic Nerve and Optic Radiation of Glaucoma Patients

Overview

Journal ScientificWorldJournal

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Biology

Date 2012 May 18

PMID 22593708

Citations 11

Authors

Tobias Engelhorn

Georg Michelson

Simone Waerntges

Marlen Otto

Ahmed El-Rafei

Tobias Struffert

Arnd Doerfler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose of this study was to evaluate with diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) changes of radial diffusivity (RD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the optic nerve (ON) and optic radiation (OR) in glaucoma and to determine whether changes in RD and FA correlate with disease severity. Therefore, glaucoma patients and controls were examined using 3T. Regions of interest were positioned on RD and FA maps, and mean values were calculated for ON and OR and correlated with optic nerve atrophy and reduced spatial-temporal contrast sensitivity (STCS) of the retina. We found, that RD in glaucoma patients was significantly higher in the ON (0.74 ± 0.21 versus 0.58 ± 0.17·10(-3) mm(2) s(-1); P < 0.05) and OR (0.79 ± 0.23 versus 0.62 ± 0.14·10(-3) mm(2) s(-1); P < 0.05) compared to controls. Aside, FA was significantly decreased (0.48 ± 0.15 versus 0.66 ± 0.12 and 0.50 ± 0.20 versus 0.66 ± 0.11; P < 0.05). Hereby, correlation between changes in RD/FA and optic nerve atrophy/STCS was observed (r > 0.77). In conclusion, DTI at 3 Tesla allows robust RD and FA measurements in the ON and OR. Hereby, the extent of RD increase and FA decrease in glaucoma correlate with established ophthalmological examinations.

Citing Articles

Empty Sella Syndrome as a Window Into the Neuroprotective Effects of Prolactin.

Paul D, Strawderman E, Rodriguez A, Hoang R, Schneider C, Haber S Front Med (Lausanne). 2021; 8:680602.

PMID: 34307410 PMC: 8295462. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.680602.

Investigation of lateral geniculate nucleus volume and diffusion tensor imaging in patients with normal tension glaucoma using 7 tesla magnetic resonance imaging.

Schmidt M, Knott M, Heidemann R, Michelson G, Kober T, Dorfler A PLoS One. 2018; 13(6):e0198830.

PMID: 29879191 PMC: 5991727. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198830.

[Diffusion tensor imaging of the visual pathway in glaucomatous optic nerve atrophy].

Engelhorn T, Schmidt M, Dorfler A, Michelson G Ophthalmologe. 2017; 114(10):906-921.

PMID: 28251307 DOI: 10.1007/s00347-017-0467-1.

Using magnetic resonance imaging to assess visual deficits: a review.

Brown H, Woodall R, Kitching R, Baseler H, Morland A Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2016; 36(3):240-65.

PMID: 27112223 PMC: 4855621. DOI: 10.1111/opo.12293.

Structural and functional brain changes beyond visual system in patients with advanced glaucoma.

Frezzotti P, Giorgio A, Motolese I, De Leucio A, Iester M, Motolese E PLoS One. 2014; 9(8):e105931.

PMID: 25162716 PMC: 4146554. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105931.

References

Bennett I, Madden D, Vaidya C, Howard D, Howard Jr J . Age-related differences in multiple measures of white matter integrity: A diffusion tensor imaging study of healthy aging. Hum Brain Mapp. 2009; 31(3):378-90. PMC: 2826569. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20872. View

Song S, Sun S, Ju W, Lin S, Cross A, Neufeld A . Diffusion tensor imaging detects and differentiates axon and myelin degeneration in mouse optic nerve after retinal ischemia. Neuroimage. 2003; 20(3):1714-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.07.005. View

Xu J, Sun S, Naismith R, Snyder A, Cross A, Song S . Assessing optic nerve pathology with diffusion MRI: from mouse to human. NMR Biomed. 2008; 21(9):928-40. PMC: 2603138. DOI: 10.1002/nbm.1307. View

Basser P, Mattiello J, Lebihan D . MR diffusion tensor spectroscopy and imaging. Biophys J. 1994; 66(1):259-67. PMC: 1275686. DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3495(94)80775-1. View

Abe O, Aoki S, Hayashi N, Yamada H, Kunimatsu A, Mori H . Normal aging in the central nervous system: quantitative MR diffusion-tensor analysis. Neurobiol Aging. 2002; 23(3):433-41. DOI: 10.1016/s0197-4580(01)00318-9. View

Staempfli P, Rienmueller A, Reischauer C, Valavanis A, Boesiger P, Kollias S . Reconstruction of the human visual system based on DTI fiber tracking. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2007; 26(4):886-93. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.21098. View

Quigley H, Broman A . The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006; 90(3):262-7. PMC: 1856963. DOI: 10.1136/bjo.2005.081224. View

Engelhorn T, Michelson G, Waerntges S, Struffert T, Haider S, Doerfler A . Diffusion tensor imaging detects rarefaction of optic radiation in glaucoma patients. Acad Radiol. 2011; 18(6):764-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2011.01.014. View

Hsu J, Leemans A, Bai C, Lee C, Tsai Y, Chiu H . Gender differences and age-related white matter changes of the human brain: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Neuroimage. 2007; 39(2):566-77. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.09.017. View

10.

Gupta N, Ang L, de Tilly L, Bidaisee L, Yucel Y . Human glaucoma and neural degeneration in intracranial optic nerve, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006; 90(6):674-8. PMC: 1860237. DOI: 10.1136/bjo.2005.086769. View

11.

Sullivan E, Rohlfing T, Pfefferbaum A . Quantitative fiber tracking of lateral and interhemispheric white matter systems in normal aging: relations to timed performance. Neurobiol Aging. 2008; 31(3):464-81. PMC: 2815144. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2008.04.007. View

12.

Gunning-Dixon F, Brickman A, Cheng J, Alexopoulos G . Aging of cerebral white matter: a review of MRI findings. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008; 24(2):109-17. PMC: 2631089. DOI: 10.1002/gps.2087. View

13.

Beaulieu C . The basis of anisotropic water diffusion in the nervous system - a technical review. NMR Biomed. 2002; 15(7-8):435-55. DOI: 10.1002/nbm.782. View

14.

Dong Q, Welsh R, Chenevert T, Carlos R, Maly-Sundgren P, Gomez-Hassan D . Clinical applications of diffusion tensor imaging. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2003; 19(1):6-18. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.10424. View

15.

Gupta N, Yucel Y . What changes can we expect in the brain of glaucoma patients?. Surv Ophthalmol. 2008; 52 Suppl 2:S122-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2007.08.006. View