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Lateral geniculate nucleus volume changes after optic neuritis in neuromyelitis optica: A longitudinal study
Athina Papadopoulou1, Frederike C Oertel2, Claudia Chien3
1Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany; NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany; Neurologic Clinic and Policlinic, Department of Medicine, Clinical Research and Biomedicine University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) patients with optic neuritis (ON) show reduced lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) volume. This volume loss is linked to ON events and not progressive, suggesting no occult neurodegeneration in this cohort.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Radiology
Background:
- Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are autoimmune diseases targeting the central nervous system.
- Optic neuritis (ON) is a common and often disabling symptom in NMOSD, leading to visual impairment.
- The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is a key relay center in the visual pathway, and its volume changes may reflect disease-related damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally assess the volume of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in patients with NMOSD.
- To investigate the relationship between LGN volume, optic neuritis (ON), and neurodegeneration in the visual pathway.
- To determine if LGN volume loss in NMOSD is progressive or associated with ON history.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal MRI-based volumetric analysis of the LGN in 29 aquaporin-4-IgG seropositive NMOSD patients and 18 healthy controls.
- Automated segmentation using a multi-atlas approach on 3 Tesla MRI scans.
- Correlations with retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optic radiation (OR) microstructural integrity assessed by tractography.
Main Results:
- At baseline, NMOSD patients with a history of ON (NMO-ON) had significantly lower LGN volumes compared to patients without ON (NMO-NON) and healthy controls (HC).
- LGN volume was associated with retinal neuroaxonal loss and microstructural damage in the optic radiations.
- Longitudinal analysis revealed no significant change in LGN volume in the absence of new ON events, but a reduction was observed in patients experiencing new ON during follow-up.
Conclusions:
- LGN volume is reduced following optic neuritis in NMOSD, but this volume loss is not progressive over time independently of ON.
- The findings do not support the presence of occult, ongoing neurodegeneration of the afferent visual pathway in NMOSD.
- ON is a critical factor influencing LGN volume changes in NMOSD patients.
