Hippocampal subregions functional connectivity alterations in primary angle-closure glaucoma patients with cognitive...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Cognitive dysfunction is observed in glaucoma patients, but neural mechanisms are not well understood.
• Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a specific type of glaucoma.
• Hippocampal subregion alterations are investigated in relation to cognitive impairment in PACG.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore functional connectivity (FC) alterations in hippocampal subregions.
• To investigate these changes in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and cognitive impairment.
• To identify potential neural mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in PACG.

Main Methods:

• Forty-four PACG patients with cognitive dysfunction and forty-six healthy controls (HCs) were recruited.
• 3D high-resolution T1 structural imaging and BOLD fMRI were performed.
• FC was analyzed between seven hippocampal subregions and the whole brain.

Main Results:

• PACG patients exhibited decreased FC between hippocampal subregions and areas like the cerebellum, sensorimotor cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus.
• Increased FC was observed between hippocampal subregions and the visual cortex, including the calcarine fissure and lingual gyrus.
• Hippocampal FC alterations correlated with visual acuity and glaucoma severity metrics (cup-to-disc ratio, RNFL thickness).

Conclusions:

• PACG with cognitive dysfunction is associated with widespread hippocampal FC alterations.
• These alterations involve the cerebellum, sensorimotor, default mode, and visual networks.
• Findings enhance understanding of the neural basis of cognitive impairment in PACG.