Association between functional network connectivity, retina structure and microvasculature, and visual performance in...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Thalamic stroke can cause neuro-ophthalmologic symptoms and retinal changes.
• Alterations in vision-related functional networks are increasingly observed after thalamic stroke.
• The precise correlations between these brain and retinal changes and visual impairment remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate altered functional network connectivity and retinal parameters post-thalamic stroke.
• To explore the correlations between these changes and visual performance.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) for multi-modular functional connectivity (FC).
• Optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT-A) for retinal parameters (RNFL, GCIPL, SVC, deep vascular complex).
• Visual acuity (VA) assessed for visual performance.

Main Results:

• Significant associations found between attention-default mode FC and SVC, RNFL, GCIPL.
• Associations observed between attention-visual FC and RNFL, and visual-visual FC with RNFL and GCIPL.
• Ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) showed a significant association with visual acuity (VA).
• Disease duration influenced the linking patterns between functional connectivity and retinal parameters.

Conclusions:

• Findings illuminate the neural basis of visual impairment after thalamic stroke.
• The study highlights potential targets for individualized therapies.
• Further research is needed to validate these novel findings.