Metabolic changes in the visual cortex of binocular blindness macaque monkeys: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) in a study of cross-modal plasticity in the visual cortex of binocular blindness macaque monkeys.


METHODS
Four healthy neonatal macaque monkeys were randomly divided into 2 groups, with 2 in each group. Optic nerve transection was performed in both monkeys in the experimental group (group B) to obtain binocular blindness. Two healthy macaque monkeys served as a control group (group A). After sixteen months post-procedure, (1)H-MRS was performed in the visual cortex of all monkeys. We compared the peak areas of NAA, Cr, Cho, Glx and Ins and the ratios of NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, Glx/Cr and Ins/Cr of each monkey in group B with group A.


RESULTS
The peak area of NAA and the NAA/Cr ratio in the visual cortex of monkey 4 in group B were found to be dramatically decreased, the peak area of NAA slightly decreased and the NAA/Cr ratio clearly decreased in visual cortex of monkey 3 in group B than those in group A. The peak area of Ins and the Ins/Cr ratio in the visual cortex of monkey 4 in group B slightly increased. The peak area of Cho and the Cho/Cr ratio in the visual cortex of all monkeys in group B dramatically increased compared with group A. The peak area of Glx in the visual cortex of all monkeys in group B slightly increased compared with group A.


CONCLUSIONS
(1)H-MRS could detect biochemical and metabolic changes in the visual cortex and therefore this technique can be used to provide valuable information for investigating the mechanisms of cross-modal plasticity of binocular blindness in a macaque monkey model.
Department of Radiology, Eye and ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Lingjie
L
Wu
Zuohua
Z
Tang
Xinghuai
X
Sun
Xiaoyuan
X
Feng
Wen
W
Qian
Jie
J
Wang
Lixin
L
Jin
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001766:Blindness / Q000378:metabolism*; D008251:Macaca; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*