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Longitudinal Metabolic Alterations of the Visual Cortex in Diabetic Retinopathy Rats Using High-Field Proton Magnetic
DanDan Shen1,2, Yuzhe Wang3, Yin Wang1
1Department of Radiology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
NMR in Biomedicine
|February 24, 2026
Summary
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) causes visual impairment due to dynamic metabolic changes in the visual cortex. This study in DR rats reveals progressive neurodegeneration and impaired neurotransmitter metabolism, highlighting DR
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Metabolic Imaging
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is linked to visual pathway dysfunction.
- Dynamic metabolic changes in the visual cortex of DR are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally characterize dynamic metabolic alterations in the visual cortex of DR rats.
- To validate metabolic findings with histopathological analysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 11.7T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) in DR and control rats over 8 weeks.
- Performed immunohistochemical analyses to assess visual cortex alterations.
- Employed statistical analyses including repeated measures ANOVA and t-tests.
Main Results:
- DR rats showed significantly altered metabolite ratios (Ins/tCr, Cho/tCr, NAA/tCr, Glu/tCr, GABA/tCr, Tau/tCr) compared to controls.
- Progressive increases in Ins/tCr and Cho/tCr, and decreases in other metabolites were observed with DR progression.
- Histopathology confirmed reduced neuronal markers (NeuN, Tau, NR2B, GABAᴀ) and increased glial markers (GFAP) in DR rats.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic metabolic alterations in the visual cortex reflect progressive cortical degeneration in DR.
- Findings highlight impaired neurotransmitter metabolism, disrupted cellular homeostasis, and glial activation in DR.
- This study elucidates neurobiological mechanisms underlying visual impairment in diabetic retinopathy.
