title: Optic neuritis interferes with optical coherence tomography and magnetic resonance imaging correlations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thinning is associated with brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS). An influence of optic neuritis is well documented but sparsely investigated. Recently, the retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) has been shown to provide superior information regarding visual function and retinal neurodegeneration as compared with RNFL.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association of white and grey matter brain volume with peripapillary RNFL and macular GCL in MS patients with and without a history of optic neuritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  63 patients with relapsing-remitting MS were included in a two-centre cross-sectional prospective study. All patients underwent retinal examination with spectral domain optical coherence tomography and 1.5 T MRI for determination of normalized brain volume (NBV), white matter volume (NWMV) and grey matter volume (NGMV).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both RNFL and GCL were associated with NBV, NWMV and NGMV in eyes without previous optic neuritis. This association is disrupted in the case of NGMV following optic neuritis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both RNFL and GCL as parameters of neuro-axonal damage are comparably linked to whole brain as well as white and grey matter atrophy. An event of optic neuritis interferes with this relation, adding further damage to the optic nerve and disrupting especially an association with grey matter.
authors.affiliation: NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre and Experimental and Clinical Research Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrueck Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freing
authors.forename: Falko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaufhold
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gaede
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bohn
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.forename: Timm
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oberwahrenbrock
authors.forename: Kim-Lea
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dörr
authors.forename: Jens T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wuerfel
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schippling
authors.forename: Friedemann
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Alexander U
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Brandt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D055351:Retinal Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult