title: Evaluation of changes in magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging of the bilateral optic tract in monocular blind rats.
abstract: Some studies have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter development of the visual pathway in humans and animals after visual deprivation. However, the alterations in the bilateral optic tract after the transection of unilateral optic nerve have not been well explored. In this study, we attempted to investigate the structural integrity of and pathological changes to the bilateral optic tract after transection of the unilateral optic nerve in rats using DTI. Eight healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, with 4 in each group. Group A served as a control group. Transection of the unilateral (right) optic nerve was performed in the four rats in group B at seven days after birth to establish the early monocular blind model. Four months after the operation, MnCl2was injected into the left eyes of all rats, and MRI examinations were performed 24h after injection. We detect the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) values of the bilateral optic tract in all rats. In a comparison of the ipsilateral optic tract of group B with group A, a significant decrease in FA (P<0.001) and an increase in RD (P<0.01) of the left optic tract were found in group B, while no significant difference was found in the right optic tract. In group B, the FA and RD values of the left optic tract were significantly lower (P<0.01) and significantly higher (P<0.05), respectively, than those of the right optic tract. Consequently, transection of the right optic nerve can lead to structural integrity damage of and pathological changes to the left optic tract in rats. Some DTI-derived parameters (such as FA and RD) may serve as biomarkers of optic tract degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Department of Radiology, Jinshan Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200540, China.
authors.forename: Yufeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Weijun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China. Electronic address: tzh518sunny@163.com.
authors.forename: Zuohua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Myopia, NHFPC (Fudan University), and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration (Fudan University), Shanghai 200031, China. Electronic address: xhsun@shmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xinghuai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
authors.forename: Jiawen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
authors.forename: Lingjie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
authors.forename: Zebin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Siemens Ltd. Healthcare sector, Shanghai, 201318, China.
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001766:Blindness / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D065866:Optic Tract / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging; Fractional anisotropy; Monocular blind rats; Optic tract; Radial diffusivity