title: In vivo evaluation of optic nerve development in non-human primates by using diffusion tensor imaging.
abstract: Developmental abnormalities of optic nerve are the leading cause of child blindness. The goal of this study was to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterize the optic nerve development of non-human primates during the normal maturation from birth to adulthood. Forty healthy rhesus monkeys aged from 2 weeks to 6 years old were scanned with a clinical 3T scanner. It was demonstrated that the DTI parameters followed an exponential pattern during optic nerve maturation. The time constants of mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (λ∥) and radial diffusivity (λ⊥) were 16, 14, 18 and 15 months in rhesus monkeys, respectively. Significant decrease in RD was observed firstly at 12 months after birth (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between the left and right optic nerves in any age group. The in vivo imaging results reveal the normal evolution patterns of DTI parameters during optic nerve maturation in primates. The data might be used as a reference in the examination of optic nerve developmental abnormalities or injury in children or preclinical studies.
authors.affiliation: Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States.
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Imaging Technology Center, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
authors.forename: Govind
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Marcus Autism Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
authors.forename: Longchuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States.
authors.forename: Sudeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental & Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Imaging Technology Center, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental & Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States.
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States; Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States. Electronic address: xzhang8@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016880:Anisotropy; D003658:Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI); Fractional anisotropy; Mean diffusivity; Non-human primate; Optic nerve development; Rhesus monkey; White matter maturation