Altered Spontaneous Brain Activity in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Yinwei Song,Fuchun Lin,Hong Zhang,Junming Wang,Wenzhen Zhu,Ketao Mu,Xiaoqin Yan,Zhiqi Chen,Yonghong Hao,Sanjoy Bhattacharya

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089493

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious studies demonstrated that primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is associated with abnormal brain structure; however, little is known about the changes in the local synchronization of spontaneous activity. The main objective of this study was to investigate spontaneous brain activity in patients with POAG using regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis based on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).Methodology/Principal FindingsThirty-nine POAG patients and forty-one age- and gender- matched healthy controls were finally included in the study. ReHo values were used to evaluate spontaneous brain activity and whole brain voxel-wise analysis of ReHo was carried out to detect differences by region in spontaneous brain activity between groups. Compared to controls, POAG patients showed increased ReHo in the right dorsal anterior cingulated cortex, the bilateral medial frontal gyrus and the right cerebellar anterior lobe, and decreased ReHo in the bilateral calcarine, bilateral precuneus gryus, bilateral pre/postcentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule and left cerebellum posterior lobe. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the relationships between clinical measures and ReHo by region showed significant group differences in the POAG group. Negative correlations were found between age and the ReHo values of the superior frontal gyrus (r = −0.323, p = 0.045), left calcarine (r = −0.357, p = 0.026) and inferior parietal lobule (r = −0.362, p = 0.024). A negative correlation was found between the ReHo values of the left precuneus and the cumulative mean defect (r = −0.400, p = 0.012).ConclusionsPOAG was associated with abnormal brain spontaneous activity in some brain regions and such changed regional activity may be associated with clinical parameters. Spontaneous brain activity may play a role in POAG initiation and progression.

Highlights

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a neurodegenerative optic disease, is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world
primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) was associated with abnormal brain spontaneous activity in some brain regions and such changed regional activity may be associated with clinical parameters
Spontaneous brain activity may play a role in POAG initiation and progression

Summary

Introduction

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a neurodegenerative optic disease, is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology permits visualization of minor changes in the whole brain in vivo. We applied both techniques of proton density sequence and gray matter sequence to measure the height and volume of the lateral geniculate nucleus in POAG. Taking into account the previous studies and the most current MRI techniques, we used BOLD technique to quantify the spontaneous change in neuronal activity in patients with POAG and in matched controls in the resting state. The main objective of this study was to investigate spontaneous brain activity in patients with POAG using regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis based on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI)

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