Early diffusion evidence of retrograde transsynaptic degeneration in the human visual system.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

We investigated whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices of white matter integrity would offer early markers of retrograde transsynaptic degeneration (RTD) in the visual system after stroke.

Methods

We performed a prospective longitudinal analysis of the sensitivity of DTI markers of optic tract health in 12 patients with postsynaptic visual pathway stroke, 12 stroke controls, and 28 healthy controls. We examined group differences in (1) optic tract fractional anisotropy (FA-asymmetry), (2) perimetric measures of visual impairment, and (3) the relationship between FA-asymmetry and perimetric assessment.

Results

FA-asymmetry was higher in patients with visual pathway lesions than in control groups. These differences were evident 3 months from the time o

SUBMITTER: Patel KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4940065 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature