Assessment of Lateral Geniculate Nucleus Atrophy with 3T MR Imaging and Correlation with Clinical Stage of Glaucoma

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Although previous animal studies have shown structural changes in ocular hypertension such as atrophy of the LGN, such changes have not been thoroughly studied in human glaucoma patients nor correlation made with clinical stage. Our aim was to investigate prospectively LGN atrophy in patients with POAG using 3T MR imaging and correlation with the clinical stage of disease.

New strategies for neuroprotection in glaucoma, a disease that affects the central nervous system

“…In particular, the atrophy of neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus and the visual cortex has been documented in primates with experimental glaucoma (Yücel et al, 2000(Yücel et al, , 2003Weber et al, 2000). The involvement of the CNS was also described in humans with glaucoma, ex vivo, by Chaturvedi et al (1993) and then confirmed, both histologically and using magnetic resonance, by Gupta et al (2006Gupta et al ( , 2009 and by Dai et al (2011). In this regard, our group using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with diffusion tensor (DT-MRI) confirmed that patients with glaucoma show alterations not only of the optic nerve, but also of the optic radiations (Garaci et al, 2009).…”

Visualization of the Medial and Lateral Geniculate Nucleus on Phase Difference Enhanced Imaging

“…6 In patients with glaucoma, the LGN height and volume are diminished and the extent of atrophy of the LGN is correlated with the clinical stage. 1,5 We believe that the PADRE technique reinforces the clinical utility of MR imaging in the diagnosis of diseases involving the LGN and MGN. Prospective clinical studies are underway in our laboratory to confirm the utility of PADRE.…”

“…There is increasing interest in assessing the MGN and LGN in healthy subjects and in patients with ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma. [1][2][3][4][5][6] However, current imaging methods for identifying the MGN and LGN vary, and imaging findings are inconsistent. Technical advances in neuroimaging facilitate the study of subcortical structures in vivo.…”

Retinotopic Changes in the Gray Matter Volume and Cerebral Blood Flow in the Primary Visual Cortex of Patients With Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Atrophy of the optic nerve, optic chiasm, optic tract, LGN, optic radiation, and visual cortex associated with longstanding retinal visual field defects in glaucoma has also been demonstrated in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 4,[13][14][15][16] These changes in the brain may directly perturb processing of visual information or lead to further RGC loss and visual field defects through neurotrophic factor deprivation. 17 With advances in modern neuroimaging techniques, early detection and in vivo monitoring of the morphologic and functional changes in the human brain are possible and provide tools and opportunities for further investigation and understanding of the involvement of the brain in glaucoma.…”