Brain imaging in glaucoma from clinical studies to clinical practice

Simone Altobelli; Nicola Toschi; Raffaele Mancino; Carlo Nucci; Orazio Schillaci; Roberto Floris; Francesco Garaci

doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.06.004

Brain imaging in glaucoma from clinical studies to clinical practice

Prog Brain Res. 2015:221:159-75. doi: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.06.004. Epub 2015 Sep 9.

Authors

Simone Altobelli¹, Nicola Toschi², Raffaele Mancino³, Carlo Nucci³, Orazio Schillaci⁴, Roberto Floris⁵, Francesco Garaci⁶

Affiliations

¹ Diagnostic Imaging section, Tor Vergata University Hospital, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
² Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
⁴ Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.
⁵ Diagnostic Imaging section, Tor Vergata University Hospital, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
⁶ Diagnostic Imaging Section, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.garaci@uniroma2.it.

PMID: 26518077
DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.06.004

Abstract

Recent advances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology have brought new insight in central nervous system (CNS) manifestation of glaucoma. New MR techniques allowed to identify in vivo and noninvasively alterations along all the visual pathway in both early and late stages of the disease. Conventional neuroimaging still plays an important role, mostly in the anatomy description and in the differential diagnosis with space occupying lesions but it should be supported by other advanced MR techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging, functional imaging (BOLD-ASL), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which offer the possibility to investigate deep white matter tracts integrity and cortical gray matter changes. In a future perspective, MR quantification of CNS damage associated with glaucoma will be of pivotal importance for prognostic stratification and evaluation of neuroprotective therapy response.

Keywords: Diffusion tensor imaging; Glaucoma; MR imaging; MR spectroscopy; fMRI.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Glaucoma / diagnosis*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Neuroimaging / methods*