Graph theoretical analysis reveals the reorganization of the brain network pattern in primary open angle glaucoma patients.

Abstract

Most previous glaucoma studies with resting-state fMRI have focused on the neuronal activity in the individual structure of the brain, yet ignored the functional communication of anatomically separated structures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficiency of the functional communication change or not in glaucoma patients. We applied the resting-state fMRI data to construct the connectivity network of 25 normal controls and 25 age-gender-matched primary open angle glaucoma patients. Graph theoretical analysis was performed to assess brain network pattern differences between the two groups. No significant differences of the global network measures were found between the two groups. However, the local measures were radically reorganized in glaucoma patients. Comparing with the hub regions in normal controls' network, we found that six hub regions disappeared and nine hub regions appeared in the network of patients. In addition, the betweenness centralities of two altered hub regions, right fusiform gyrus and right lingual gyrus, were significantly correlated with the visual field mean deviation. Although the efficiency of functional communication is preserved in the brain network of the glaucoma at the global level, the efficiency of functional communication is altered in some specialized regions of the glaucoma. • Global topological measures of brain network have no alterations in glaucoma patients. • Local network measures are radically reorganized in glaucoma patients. • The alterations of hub regions are found in the glaucoma. • Betweenness centrality of altered hubs may reflect the glaucoma severity.