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Magnetic resonance imaging investigations reveal that PM2.5 exposure triggers visual dysfunction in mice
Linying Guo1, He Wang2, Ji Zhou3
1Department of Radiology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China.
Objectives:
To investigate how PM2.5 exposure affects the microstructure, metabolites or functions of the visual system.
Methods:
C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to groups exposed to the filtered air (the control group) or the concentrated ambient PM2.5 (the PM2.5 group). Visual evoked potentials (VEP), electroretinograms (ERG), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) were performed. Parameters were obtained and compared between the two groups, including latencies and amplitudes of the P1 wave, N1 wave and P2 wave from VEP, latencies and amplitudes of the a wave and b wave from ERG, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) from DTI, visual cortex (VC) metabolites from 1H-MRS, and regional homogeneity (ReHo) from rsfMRI.
Results:
Compared with the values of the control group, the PM2.5 group showed a prolonged N1 latency (43.11 ± 7.94 ms vs. 38.75 ± 4.60 ms) and lowered P1 amplitude (5.62 ± 4.38 μV vs. 8.56 ± 5.92 μV) on VEP (all p < 0.05). On ERG, the amplitude of the a wave was lowered (- 91.39 ± 56.29 μV vs. - 138.68 ± 89.05 μV), the amplitude of the b wave was lowered (194.38 ± 126.27 μV vs. 284.72 ± 170.99 μV), and the latency of the b wave was prolonged (37.78 ± 10.72 ms vs. 33.01 ± 4.34 ms) than the values of the control group (all p < 0.05). DTI indicated FA increase in the bilateral piriform cortex (Pir), FA decrease in the bilateral somatosensory cortex (S) and the bilateral striatum (Stri), AD decrease in the bilateral VC, the right S and the bilateral Pir, MD decrease in the bilateral Pir, and RD decrease in the bilateral Pir in the PM2.5 mice (all p < 0.05, Alphasim corrected). 1H-MRS showed Glutamate (Glu) increase and Phosphocholine (PCh) increase in the VC of the PM2.5 group than those of the control group (PCh 1.63 ± 0.25 vs. 1.50 ± 0.25; PCh/total creatine(tCr) 0.19 ± 0.03 vs. 0.18 ± 0.03; Glu 10.46 ± 1.50 vs. 9.60 ± 1.19; Glu/tcr 1.23 ± 0.11 vs. 1.12 ± 0.11) (all p < 0.05). rsfMRI showed higher ReHo in the PM2.5 mice in the left superior colliculus, the left motor cortex, the hippocampus, the periaqueductal gray and the right mesencephalic reticular formation (all p < 0.01, AlphaSim corrected).
Conclusions:
This study revealed that PM2.5 exposure triggered visual dysfunction, and altered microstructure, metabolite and function in the retina and visual brain areas along the visual system.
Insights
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) impairs vision and alters the visual system
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Environmental Health
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a significant environmental pollutant.
- The impact of PM2.5 on the visual system is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of PM2.5 exposure on the visual system's microstructure, metabolites, and function.
- To identify specific changes in the retina and visual brain areas.
Main Methods:
- C57BL/6J mice were exposed to filtered air (control) or concentrated ambient PM2.5.
- Evaluated visual function using visual evoked potentials (VEP) and electroretinograms (ERG).
- Assessed brain microstructure and function with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), and resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI).
Main Results:
- PM2.5 exposure led to prolonged N1 latency and reduced P1 amplitude in VEP, and reduced a-wave and b-wave amplitudes and prolonged b-wave latency in ERG.
- DTI revealed alterations in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) in various brain regions.
- 1H-MRS showed increased glutamate (Glu) and phosphocholine (PCh) in the visual cortex, while rsfMRI indicated higher regional homogeneity (ReHo) in several brain areas.
Conclusions:
- PM2.5 exposure significantly impairs visual function.
- Exposure alters the microstructure, metabolite levels, and functional connectivity within the retina and visual brain pathways.
- These findings highlight the detrimental effects of PM2.5 on the visual system.
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