White Matter Function and Network Abnormalities in Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• White Matter Integrity
• Diabetic Neuropathy

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes affecting the eyes.
• White matter (WM) alterations may occur in individuals with DR.
• Understanding WM changes is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in white matter (WM) function and network connectivity between DR patients and healthy controls (HC).
• To analyze specific alterations in WM networks associated with DR.

Main Methods:

• Included 46 DR patients and 43 age/gender-matched HC participants.
• Utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics such as fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC).
• Employed Support Vector Machine (SVM) analysis for classification accuracy.

Main Results:

• DR patients showed altered WM function, with increased DC in the middle cerebellar peduncle and genu of the corpus callosum.
• Higher fALFF values were observed in specific tracts, while reduced ReHo was noted in the left posterior thalamic radiation.
• SVM classification achieved high accuracy (81-89%) in distinguishing DR from HC based on WM measures, with significant AUC values.

Conclusions:

• Diabetic retinopathy is associated with abnormal white matter functional alterations.
• These alterations particularly affect fiber pathways connecting the visual network to the sensory-motor network.
• WM imaging provides potential biomarkers for DR-related neurological changes.