Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Monitoring Dynamic Growth of Retinal Vessels in Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy Mouse Model
10:32

Monitoring Dynamic Growth of Retinal Vessels in Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy Mouse Model

Published on: April 2, 2021

Development of the optic radiations and visual function after premature birth

Michela Groppo1, Daniela Ricci2, Laura Bassi1

  • 1Centre for the Developing Brain, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom; NICU, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior
|April 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Visual impairment in preterm infants is linked to optic radiation development. Abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA) during the late preterm period impact visual function, suggesting interventions after 30 weeks may help.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Preterm infants often show visual impairment linked to optic radiation microstructural development.
  • Reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) measured by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) at term equivalent age (TEA) indicates impaired development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that optic radiation microstructural abnormalities develop during the late preterm period.
  • To investigate the relationship between fractional anisotropy (FA) and visual function in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was performed on 53 preterm infants.
  • Infants were scanned at a median post-menstrual age (PMA) of 30 weeks, with 22 infants scanned twice.

Main Results:

  • FA in the optic radiation at TEA correlated with visual function, PMA at birth, and PMA at scan.
  • FA increased significantly between scans in infants studied longitudinally (32 to 40 weeks PMA).
  • Visual function was predicted by the rate of FA increase and FA at later scans, not early neonatal scans.

Conclusions:

  • Microstructural maturation of the optic radiation during the late preterm period is crucial for normal visual function.
  • Interventions initiated after 30 weeks post-menstrual age may mitigate visual impairment in preterm infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
BrainDiffusion tensor imagingMagnetic resonance imagingPretermVision

More Related Videos

How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns07:39

How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns

Published on: October 24, 2019

Partial Optic Nerve Transection in Rats: A Model Established with a New Operative Approach to Assess Secondary Degeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells13:12

Partial Optic Nerve Transection in Rats: A Model Established with a New Operative Approach to Assess Secondary Degeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells

Published on: October 15, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...
Vision01:24

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...
Visual System01:26

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Diabetic Retinopathy01:27

Diabetic Retinopathy

DefinitionDiabetic retinopathy is a microvascular complication of diabetes affecting the retinal blood vessels.Risk FactorsDiabetic retinopathy is present in almost all individuals with type 1 diabetes and more than 60% of those with type 2 diabetes after two decades of disease.The risk increases with poor glycemic control, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, pregnancy, and puberty.Although cataracts and glaucoma are also more frequent in people with diabetes, retinopathy remains the leading...
The Retina01:32

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.