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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation
Published on: December 8, 2023
Multiscale neurobiological architecture of functional synchronization abnormalities in primary angle-closure
Xian-Sheng Liu1, Zi-Liang Zheng2, Cao Jie3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, JiuJiang No. 1 People's Hospital, Jiujiang.
Neuroreport
|July 22, 2026
Summary
Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) alters brain function by affecting glial cells and neurochemicals, not just neurons. This suggests PACG is a systemic neurodegenerative disease impacting the central nervous system.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Genomics
Background:
- Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) causes significant central nervous system (CNS) remodeling.
- The molecular and cellular underpinnings of functional abnormalities in PACG are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the molecular, cellular, and neurochemical drivers of functional synchronization abnormalities in PACG.
- To link macroscopic brain function alterations to underlying biological signatures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a multiscale imaging-transcriptomics approach.
- Analyzed resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) for regional homogeneity (ReHo) in 44 PACG patients and 57 controls.
- Integrated fMRI data with whole-brain gene expression, cell-type-specific data, and neurotransmitter maps.
Main Results:
- PACG patients showed decreased ReHo in the visual cortex and increased ReHo in other brain regions.
- ReHo alterations correlated with gene expression changes in stress response and extracellular matrix remodeling, and decreased synaptic transmission.
- Transcriptomic signatures were localized to glial and neurovascular cells, not neurons.
- Brain function abnormalities were linked to dopamine, GABA, and serotonin receptor distributions.
Conclusions:
- PACG-induced functional changes are linked to transcriptomic gradients, glial-vascular networks, and neurochemical profiles.
- These findings support the view of PACG as a systemic neurodegenerative disease affecting the CNS.
- Highlights the role of glial-vascular interactions in PACG pathophysiology.
