Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and thalamus pathology in multiple sclerosis patients.
OBJECTIVE
Visual impairments are frequent in multiple sclerosis (MS). Optic neuritis can directly reduce retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. Our objectives were to evaluate associations of the RNFL thickness (RNFLT) of MS patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of regional brain atrophy and tissue injury in the post-chiasmatic deep gray matter (GM) section of the visual pathway.


METHODS
Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in 96 relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients and 46 controls. MRI was obtained within ±3 months of OCT. RNFLT associations with MRI measures from diffusion tensor imaging and regional and tissue specific atrophy were assessed.


RESULTS
In RR-MS, lower RNFLT was associated with lower white matter volume and lower whole brain volume. Lower RNFLT was associated with lower total deep gray matter volume and lower thalamus volume. Lower RNFLT was associated with greater mean diffusivity (MD) in normal appearing (NA) brain tissue and NA gray matter. Trends were found for lower RNFLT with greater MD in NA white matter and thalamus. RNFLT in controls was not associated with MD.


CONCLUSIONS
Lower RNFLT is associated with microscopic tissue injury in NA regions of the brain and with neurodegeneration of the deep gray matter and thalamus in RR-MS.
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.|Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
R
R
Zivadinov
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.|Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy.
N
N
Bergsland
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
R
R
Cappellani
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
J
J
Hagemeier
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
R
R
Melia
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
E
E
Carl
Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
M G
MG
Dwyer
Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
N
N
Lincoff
Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
B
B
Weinstock-Guttman
Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.|Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
M
M
Ramanathan
D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000473:pathology*; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D055351:Retinal Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*
environmental factors; multiple sclerosis; optic neuritis; vision