Development of the optic radiations and visual function after premature birth

Groppo, Michela; Ricci, Daniela; Bassi, Laura; Merchant, Nazakat; D’Oria, Valentina; Arichi, Tomoki; Allsop, Joanna; Ramenghi, Luca A.; Fox, Matthew; Cowan, Frances; Counsell, Serena J.; Edwards, A. David

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.02.008

Cited by 47 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…This implies the generalized vulnerability of the developing visual system during the third trimester. 12 However, the actual effects of focal lesions to the immature OR on the visual function have yet to be investigated in any detail.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damage to the Immature Optic Radiation Causes Severe Reduction of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, Resulting in Predictable Visual Field Defects

Lennartsson¹,

Nilsson²,

Flodmark³

et al. 2014

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damage to the Immature Optic Radiation Causes Severe Reduction of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, Resulting in Predictable Visual Field Defects

Lennartsson¹,

Nilsson²,

Flodmark³

et al. 2014

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

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“…Preterm neonates requiring intensive care following birth have increased risks for later life cognitive and learning impairments (3–5 times higher than the general population; Karmel et al, 2010) and signs of neurological damage (e.g., diffuse white matter injury, reduced grey matter volume, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia). Initial connectomics studies in preterm infants have highlighted disruptions in thalamocortical connections implicated in cortical organization (Groppo et al, 2014; Smyser et al, 2012). Work focused on the visual system has highlighted the vulnerability of the developing brain in the period after 30 weeks gestational age (Groppo et al, 2014).…”

Section: Section 1: Developmental Miswiring: Emerging Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the Miswired Connectome: A Developmental Perspective

Martino

Fair

Kelly

et al. 2014

Neuron

310

307

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Summary The vast majority of mental illnesses can be conceptualized as developmental disorders of neural interactions within the connectome, or developmental miswiring. The recent maturation of pediatric in vivo brain imaging is bringing within reach the identification of clinically meaningful brain-based biomarkers of developmental disorders. Even more auspicious, is the ability to study the evolving connectome throughout life, beginning in utero, which promises to move the field from topological phenomenology to etiological nosology. Here, we scope advances in pediatric imaging of the brain connectome as the field faces the challenge of unraveling developmental miswiring. We highlight promises while also providing a pragmatic review of the many obstacles ahead that must be overcome to significantly impact public health.

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“…Using tract-based spatial statistics, we found that FA values in the infants with brain injury were significantly lower than FA values in the control group in several white matter regions relevant for vision, including the corpus callosum and the left optic radiation. Several studies have shown that FA in the optic radiations correlates with visual fixation and visual assessment scores at the time of scan in preterm infants (4,8,25), and one of these studies found that the relationship appears specific to the optic radiation, as FA was not related to visual function in any other region (8). In former preterm infants studied in adolescence, lower FA in the optic radiations was associated with increased odds of impaired vision.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Functional connectivity of the visual system in the neonatal period using task-based fMRI has not been previously reported. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown that altered white matter integrity of the optic radiations is related to visual function in preterm infants (8), and volumetric analyses have correlated reduced occipital volumes in the neonatal period with later impaired oculomotor function (9).…”

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confidence: 99%

Functional and structural connectivity of the visual system in infants with perinatal brain injury

et al. 2016

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Background: Infants with perinatal brain injury are at risk of later visual problems. Advanced neuroimaging techniques show promise to detect functional and structural alterations of the visual system. We hypothesized that infants with perinatal brain injury would have less brain activation during a visual functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task and reduced task-based functional connectivity and structural connectivity as compared with healthy controls. Methods: Ten infants with perinatal brain injury and 20 control infants underwent visual fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) during natural sleep with no sedation. Activation maps, functional connectivity maps, and structural connectivity were analyzed and compared between the two groups. results: Most infants in both groups had negative activation in the visual cortex during the fMRI task. Infants with brain injury showed reduced activation in the occipital cortex, weaker connectivity between visual areas and other areas of the brain during the visual task, and reduced fractional anisotropy in white matter tracts projecting to visual regions, as compared with control infants. conclusion: Infants with brain injury sustained in the perinatal period showed evidence of decreased brain activity and functional connectivity during a visual task and altered structural connectivity as compared with healthy term neonates. i nfants with brain injury sustained in the perinatal period are at risk of later visual problems, including low visual acuity, decreased binocular depth perception, abnormal eye movements, and cortical visual impairment (1,2). The ability to predict visual outcome based on conventional imaging and ophthalmologic examinations in the neonatal period is poor (1,3,4). Therefore, children with brain injury who could benefit from early ophthalmologic assessment and early intervention vision therapies may have delayed diagnosis and treatment of visual problems. As advanced neuroimaging techniques have become more common, the visual system has been studied in preterm and term infants. Using task-based fMRI, occipital lobe activation is reliably obtained in infants after term equivalent age (5,6) but not in the preterm period (7). Functional connectivity of the visual system in the neonatal period using task-based fMRI has not been previously reported. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown that altered white matter integrity of the optic radiations is related to visual function in preterm infants (8), and volumetric analyses have correlated reduced occipital volumes in the neonatal period with later impaired oculomotor function (9).Our long-term, overarching goal is to determine whether fMRI and DTI can be used as an adjunct to conventional clinical MRI to add additional information for clinicians and families about potential damage to the visual system in the neonatal period. In this study, we performed DTI and visual fMRI with a flashing light stimulus in 20 term control infants <8 wk postnatal age and in 10 infants with brain injury ...

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Development of the optic radiations and visual function after premature birth

Cited by 47 publications

References 45 publications

Damage to the Immature Optic Radiation Causes Severe Reduction of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, Resulting in Predictable Visual Field Defects

Damage to the Immature Optic Radiation Causes Severe Reduction of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, Resulting in Predictable Visual Field Defects

Unraveling the Miswired Connectome: A Developmental Perspective

Functional and structural connectivity of the visual system in infants with perinatal brain injury

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