title: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) reveals geniculocalcarine and striate area degeneration in primary glaucoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glaucoma is a collection of neurodegenerative diseases that affect both the retina and the central visual pathway. We investigated whether metabolites' concentrations changed in the geniculocalcarine (GCT) and the striate area of occipital lobe by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS), suggesting neurodegeneration of the central visual pathway in primary glaucoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  20 patients with glaucoma in both eyes were paired with 20 healthy volunteers in same gender and an age difference less than 3 years. All the participants were examined by MR imaging including T1 Flair, T2 FSE and (1)H-MRS. The T1 intensity and T2 intensity of their GCTs and striate areas were measured. The ratio of N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/Creatine (Cr), Choline (Cho)/Cr, glutamine and glutamate (Glx)/Cr were derived by multi-voxels (1)H-MRS in the GCT and the striate area of each brain hemisphere. The T1 intensity and T2 intensity had no difference between the groups. Significant decreases in NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr but no difference in Glx/Cr was found between the groups in both the GCT and the striate area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary glaucoma affects metabolites' concentrations in the GCT and the striate area suggesting there is ongoing neurodegenerative process.
authors.affiliation: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, GuangDong, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiuyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ge
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Guijun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xuelin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics; D008875:Middle Aged; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult