151. Progression of retinal ganglion cell loss in multiple sclerosis is associated with new lesions in the optic radiations.
- Author
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Klistorner, A., Graham, E. C., Yiannikas, C., Barnett, M., Parratt, J., Garrick, R., Wang, C., You, Y., and Graham, S. L.
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RETINAL ganglion cells , *NERVE fibers , *MULTIPLE sclerosis , *BRAIN diseases , *MAGNETIC resonance imaging of the brain - Abstract
Background and purpose The mechanism of retinal ganglion cell and retinal nerve fiber layer loss in multiple sclerosis ( MS) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association between temporal retinal nerve fiber layer ( tRNFL) thinning and disease activity in the brain determined by T2 lesions on magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI). Methods Fifty-five consecutive patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 25 controls were enrolled. All patients underwent annual optical coherence tomography and high-resolution MRI scans for tRNFL thickness and brain lesion volume analysis, respectively. Results Significant tRNFL thickness reduction was observed over the 3-year follow-up period at a relatively constant rate (1.02 μm/year). Thinning of tRNFL fibers was more prominent in younger patients ( P = 0.01). The tRNFL loss was associated with new MRI lesions in the optic radiations ( ORs). There was significantly greater tRNFL thinning in patients with new lesional activity in the ORs compared with patients with new lesions outside the ORs ( P = 0.009). Conclusions This study supports the notion that retrograde transneuronal degeneration caused by OR lesions might play a role in progressive retinal nerve fiber layer loss. In addition, the results of the study also indicate that the disease-related neurodegenerative changes in the retina start much earlier than the clinical diagnosis of MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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