Binocular Integrated Visual Field Deficits Are Associated With Changes in Local Network Function in Primary...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Glaucoma is associated with structural and functional brain changes, but their impact on cortical functional networks and visual function remains unclear.
• Understanding these network alterations is crucial for developing effective treatments and rehabilitation strategies for glaucoma patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare global and local functional connectivity in brain networks between glaucoma and control participants.
• To investigate the relationship between functional connectivity, specifically in brain hubs, and visual field (VF) loss in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Main Methods:

• Recruited 20 POAG and 24 healthy participants for ophthalmic assessment and two resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans.
• Identified brain hubs using eigenvector centrality (EC) and compared EC values between groups.
• Correlated EC values with eye-independent visual field sensitivity scores to assess the relationship between network changes and VF defects.

Main Results:

• No significant disruptions in global functional connectivity were observed in POAG participants, indicating preserved global brain network communication.
• A significant positive correlation was found between the EC of the Lingual Gyrus (a brain hub) and binocular visual field sensitivity.
• This suggests local brain reorganization in response to visual field loss.

Conclusions:

• Global brain network communication remains intact in glaucoma.
• Local network alterations, particularly in the Lingual Gyrus, are associated with reduced binocular visual field sensitivity in POAG.
• These findings highlight local brain reorganization influencing functional visual abilities in glaucoma.