The First Positron Emission Tomography Study of the Brain of Patients with Glaucoma

Abstract

Aim: To determine the location and pattern of changes in the rate of glucose metabolism in brain structures according to positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: Nine patients with initial, developed and advanced stages of glaucoma were examined. The control group consisted of patients of a similar age group without signs of glaucoma. The PET study was performed on an Optima 560 PET / CT scanner. 30-40 minutes before the start of the scan, the patient was given an intravenous radiopharmaceutical (RP) using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). During the accumulation of the radiopharmaceutical, the patient was in a room with dim light, with a low noise level and minimal motor activity. Results: When conducting PET with 18F-FDG, a change in the rate of glucose metabolism (RGM) was recorded in the form of a decrease in RGM in the upper parietal lobe, lower parietal lobe and precuneus (the inner part of the parietal cortex), as well as an increase in RGM of the prefrontal cortex, sensorimotor cortex. Signs of a change in RGM in the posterior region of the lumbar cortex, in the nuclei of the caudate nuclei and in the optic thalamus were also revealed. Similar data on changes in the rate of glucose metabolism in brain neurons that we recorded in patients with POAG are usually recorded in patients with other neurodegenerative diseases. Findings: Undoubtedly, the revealed changes in the rate of glucose metabolism in the neurons of the brain of patients with POAG indicate the affinity of this nosology with other neurodegenerative diseases and reveal the basis of disorders (visual, cognitive, autonomic) associated with changes in the central nervous system in patients with POAG. Research in this direction needs to be continued.