title: Progressive thinning of visual cortex in primary open-angle glaucoma of varying severity.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate possible changes of cortical thickness in the visual cortex in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) of varying severity. Twenty normal controls (NC), 20 mild (MP) and 17 severe (SP) POAG patients were recruited and scanned using magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness analyses with regions of interest (V1, V2, ventral V3, V4 and V5/MT+) were used to assess the cortical changes among the three groups. Furthermore, the associations of cortical thickness with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and mean deviation of visual field were analyzed. Compared with the NC group, decreased cortical thickness was detected in the bilateral V5/MT+ areas in the MP group and the left V1, bilateral V2 and V5/MT+ areas in the SP group. Cortical thinning of the bilateral V2 areas was detected in the SP group compared with the MP group. In addition, cortical thinning of these visual areas was related to the ophthalmologic measurements. In conclusion, POAG patients exhibit cortical thinning in the bilateral V5/MT+ in the early stage of disease. The cortical degeneration in visual areas is discrepant with disease progressing and the dorsal pathway might be selectively damaged in POAG. Therefore, the cortical thinning of these visual areas may play a key role in the progression of POAG and can serve as a novel biomarker for accurately evaluating the severity of POAG.
authors: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China; Department of Radiology, 401st Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors: Longhua
authors: L
authors: Yu
authors: Department of Radiology, 401st Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors: Liqi
authors: L
authors: Xie
authors: Ophthalmology research center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors: Chao
authors: C
authors: Dai
authors: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Xie
authors: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors: Minglong
authors: M
authors: Liang
authors: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: Lu
authors: L
authors: Zhao
authors: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: Xuntao
authors: X
authors: Yin
authors: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D014794:Visual Fields; D055815:Young Adult