Altered spontaneous neuronal activity and functional connectivity pattern in primary angle-closure glaucoma: a...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a significant cause of vision loss.
• Understanding the neurological underpinnings of PACG is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in spontaneous neuronal activity and functional connectivity in PACG patients using fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and functional connectivity (FC).
• To explore the relationship between fALFF values and clinical indicators of glaucoma severity.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
• fALFF analysis identified brain regions with altered activity in 42 PACG patients compared to 21 controls.
• Functional connectivity (FC) analysis was performed using identified regions as seeds.
• Correlations between fALFF/FC values and ophthalmological measures (visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness) were examined.

Main Results:

• PACG patients exhibited significantly lower fALFF in the left cuneus, bilateral middle temporal gyri, and right precentral gyrus, and higher fALFF in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus compared to controls.
• Increased FC was observed between the left cuneus and superior frontal/posterior cingulate gyri, and between the left middle temporal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus.
• fALFF values in the left cuneus positively correlated with visual field mean deviation and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.
• fALFF values in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus negatively correlated with visual field mean deviation and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.

Conclusions:

• PACG is associated with abnormal spontaneous neural activity and connectivity in brain regions involved in visual processing.
• fALFF values in the left cuneus and bilateral superior frontal gyrus show potential as complementary biomarkers for assessing PACG disease severity.