Brain morphometric alterations along the visual pathway in nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy: a...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Ophthalmology
• Neurology

Background:

• Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a leading cause of optic nerve damage.
• Understanding NAION's full impact requires investigating potential central nervous system involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain morphometric changes in NAION patients using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
• To explore associations between these brain changes and ophthalmic parameters.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, cross-sectional study comparing 15 NAION patients and 15 controls.
• High-resolution 3.0-Tesla brain MRI with whole-brain VBM analysis.
• Ophthalmic evaluations included visual acuity, visual fields, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.

Main Results:

• NAION patients showed reduced gray matter in visual pathway-related cortical regions (p < 0.001, uncorrected).
• Increased gray matter in the cerebellum and white matter in the posterior cerebellum was observed.
• No significant correlations were found between brain morphometry and ophthalmic parameters or visual function.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary evidence suggests potential brain morphometric alterations in NAION patients.
• These changes may involve visual cortex and cerebellum, indicating broader CNS impact.
• Findings are exploratory due to lack of statistical significance after FWE correction; larger studies are needed.