Morphological brain changes between active and inactive phases of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy: A voxel-based...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Ophthalmology
• Neurology

Background:

• Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an autoimmune condition affecting the eye and orbit.
• Understanding TAO's neuropathological basis is crucial for diagnosis and management.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers insights into brain structural changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate morphological brain changes in active TAO, inactive TAO, and healthy controls using MRI.
• To explore the neuropathological relationship of TAO through brain morphometry.
• To identify potential imaging biomarkers for TAO clinical phases.

Main Methods:

• Observational case-control study with 35 inactive TAO, 37 active TAO, and 23 healthy controls.
• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis to assess gray matter volume (GMV) differences.
• Correlation analysis between GMV alterations and clinical parameters in TAO patients.

Main Results:

• Active TAO patients exhibited significantly increased GMV in specific frontal, precuneus, and postcentral regions compared to controls and inactive TAO.
• No significant GMV differences were found between inactive TAO and healthy controls.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis successfully differentiated active TAO from inactive TAO and controls, with GMV in precuneus and postcentral gyrus associated with clinical parameters in active TAO.

Conclusions:

• Localized GMV alterations are associated with TAO pathophysiology and can potentially distinguish clinical phases.
• Altered brain morphometry may indicate brain structure remodeling during TAO progression.
• MRI-based GMV analysis shows promise as a discriminative tool for TAO staging.