Reduced gray matter volume in patients with retinal detachment: evidence from a voxel-based morphometry study.

Abstract

BackgroundWe know little about the pathogenesis and diagnosis of retinal detachment.PurposeTo assess spontaneous changes in the cerebral cortex of patients with retinal detachment using voxel-based morphometry and to explore the relationship between retinal detachment and clinical behavioral performance.Material and MethodsPatients (14 men, 6 women; average age = 49.15 ± 10.32 years) with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (duration of 24.05 ± 19.61 days) and 20 matched healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent repeated functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. The original three-dimensional T1 brain images were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry and whole brain white matter volume and whole brain gray matter volume were compared with those of the control group. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to classify the mean gray matter volume values of the patients with retinal detachment compared with the controls.ResultsCompared with the controls, whole brain gray matter volume was significantly reduced in patients with retinal detachment, as evidenced by changes in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus, and right cuneus. In addition, the posterior lobe of the cerebellum, left hippocampus, left cingulate gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus were also obviously atrophied. Furthermore, whole brain white matter volume of the patients with retinal detachment showed a slight reduction. The ROC curve analysis of each brain region showed that the accuracy of the area under the curve was high.ConclusionWe proved that patients with retinal detachment had unusual changes in the gray matter volume and white matter volume in vision-related brain regions, which could reveal potential pathological mechanisms of retinal detachment.