Neurodegenerative Process Linking the Eye and the Brain

Mancino, Raffaele; Cesareo, Massimo; Martucci, Alessio; Carlo, Emiliano Di; Ciuffoletti, Elena; Giannini, Clarissa; Morrone, Luigi Antonio; Nucci, Carlo Alberto; Garaci, Francesco

doi:10.2174/0929867325666180307114332

Cited by 33 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Moreover, several studies have highlighted a possible connection between reductions of the visual field (VF) and a higher likelihood of developing cognitive impairment, both of which are common phenomena in glaucoma patients [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Interestingly, these observations are in keeping with recent findings supporting the hypothesis that glaucoma could be considered to be a neurodegenerative disorder involving the central nervous system (CNS) [ 4 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In this context, several studies have highlighted changes in grey matter (GM) [ 16 , 17 ], functional connectivity [ 14 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], and white matter (WM) [ 14 , 15 , 20 , 21 ] in glaucoma patients as compared with controls.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging of White Matter Degeneration in Glaucoma

Nucci

Garaci

Altobelli

et al. 2020

JCM

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Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy characterized by death of retinal ganglion cells and loss of their axons, progressively leading to blindness. Recently, glaucoma has been conceptualized as a more diffuse neurodegenerative disorder involving the optic nerve and also the entire brain. Consistently, previous studies have used a variety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and described widespread changes in the grey and white matter of patients. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) provides additional information as compared with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and consistently provides higher sensitivity to early microstructural white matter modification. In this study, we employ DKI to evaluate differences among healthy controls and a mixed population of primary open angle glaucoma patients ranging from stage I to V according to Hodapp–Parrish–Anderson visual field impairment classification. To this end, a cohort of patients affected by primary open angle glaucoma (n = 23) and a group of healthy volunteers (n = 15) were prospectively enrolled and underwent an ophthalmological evaluation followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a 3T MR scanner. After estimating both DTI indices, whole-brain, voxel-wise statistical comparisons were performed in white matter using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). We found widespread differences in several white matter tracts in patients with glaucoma relative to controls in several metrics (mean kurtosis, kurtosis anisotropy, radial kurtosis, and fractional anisotropy) which involved localization well beyond the visual pathways, and involved cognitive, motor, face recognition, and orientation functions amongst others. Our findings lend further support to a causal brain involvement in glaucoma and offer alternative explanations for a number of multidomain impairments often observed in glaucoma patients.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging of White Matter Degeneration in Glaucoma

Nucci

Garaci

Altobelli

et al. 2020

JCM

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“…In the I/R rat model, we observed that the apoptosis of RGC is related to the OS caused by the accumulation of glutamate [ 89 , 90 ]. Glaucoma also shows a similar pattern of cell damage associated with glutamate accumulation, which can be observed in other neurodegenerative diseases [ 91 , 92 ]. In addition, DNA damage in the trabecular meshwork (TM) by OS can cause anterior chamber aqueous drainage [ 93 ], which in turn leads to chronic changes in aqueous and vitreous humors in patients with glaucoma.…”

Section: Os In Retinal Degenerative Diseasementioning

confidence: 80%

Hydrogen Sulfide: Novel Endogenous and Exogenous Modulator of Oxidative Stress in Retinal Degeneration Diseases

Liu

Shi

et al. 2021

Molecules

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Oxidative stress (OS) damage can cause significant injury to cells, which is related to the occurrence and development of many diseases. This pathological process is considered to be the first step to trigger the death of outer retinal neurons, which is related to the pathology of retinal degenerative diseases. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has recently received widespread attention as a physiological signal molecule and gas neuromodulator and plays an important role in regulating OS in eyes. In this article, we reviewed the OS responses and regulatory mechanisms of H2S and its donors as endogenous and exogenous regulators in retinal degenerative diseases. Understanding the relevant mechanisms will help to identify the therapeutic potential of H2S in retinal degenerative diseases.

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“…There is much interest in the world of scientific research regarding the use of OCT in the diagnosis and follow-up of glaucoma, which is now considered a real neurodegenerative disease [ 36 , 37 ]. Many studies have focused on the analysis of the diagnostic capacity of this tool in discriminating healthy subjects from subjects with suspected glaucoma or at the initial stage of the disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Assessment of Macular and Optic Nerve Alterations in Patients with Glaucoma and Correlation with Visual Field Index

Martucci

Toschi

Cesareo

et al. 2018

Journal of Ophthalmology

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Introduction To evaluate the sectorial thickness of single retinal layers and optic nerve using spectral domain optic coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and highlight the parameters with the best diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing between normal and glaucoma subjects at different stages of the disease. Material and Methods For this cross-sectional study, 25 glaucomatous (49 eyes) and 18 age-matched healthy subjects (35 eyes) underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including visual field testing. Sectorial thickness values of each retinal layer and of the optic nerve were measured using SD-OCT Glaucoma Module Premium Edition (GMPE) software. Each parameter was compared between the groups, and the layers and sectors with the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were identified. Correlation of visual field index with the most relevant structural parameters was also evaluated. Results and Discussion All subjects were grouped according to stage as follows: Controls (CTRL); Early Stage Group (EG) (Stage 1 + Stage 2); Advanced Stage Group (AG) (Stage 3 + Stage 4 + Stage 5). mGCL TI, mGCL TO, mIPL TO, mean mGCL, cpRNFLt NS, and cpRNFLt TI showed the best results in terms of AUC according classification proposed by Swets (0.9 < AUC < 1.0). These parameters also showed significantly different values among group when CTRL vs EG, CTRL vs AG, and EG vs AG were compared. SD-OCT examination showed significant sectorial thickness differences in most of the macular layers when glaucomatous patients at different stages of the disease were compared each other and to the controls.

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Neurodegenerative Process Linking the Eye and the Brain

Cited by 33 publications

References 49 publications

Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging of White Matter Degeneration in Glaucoma

Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging of White Matter Degeneration in Glaucoma

Hydrogen Sulfide: Novel Endogenous and Exogenous Modulator of Oxidative Stress in Retinal Degeneration Diseases

Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Assessment of Macular and Optic Nerve Alterations in Patients with Glaucoma and Correlation with Visual Field Index

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