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BOLD fMRI and DTI in strabismic amblyopes following occlusion therapy

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Abstract

Evaluation of brain cluster activation using the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was sought in strabismic amblyopes. In this hospital-based case–control cross-sectional study, fMRI and DTI were conducted in strabismic amblyopes before initiation of any therapy and after visual recovery following the administration of occlusion therapy. FMRI was performed in 10 strabismic amblyopic subjects (baseline group) and in 5 left strabismic amblyopic children post-occlusion therapy after two-line visual improvement. Ten age-matched healthy children with right ocular dominance formed control group. Structural and functional MRI was carried out on 1.5T MR scanner. The visual task consisted of 8 Hz flickering checkerboard with red dot and occasional green dot. Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI was analyzed using statistical parametric mapping and DTI on NordicIce (NordicNeuroLab) softwares. Reduced occipital activation was elicited when viewing with the amblyopic eye in amblyopes. An ‘ipsilateral to viewing eye’ pattern of calcarine BOLD activation was observed in controls and left amblyopes. Activation of cortical areas associated with visual processing differed in relation to the viewing eye. Following visual recovery on occlusion therapy, enhanced activity in bilateral hemispheres in striate as well as extrastriate regions when viewing with either eye was seen. Improvement in visual acuity following occlusion therapy correlates with hemodynamic activity in amblyopes.

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Abbreviations

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

DTI:

Diffusion tensor imaging

BOLD:

Blood oxygen level dependent

SPM8:

Statistical parametric mapping

LGN:

Lateral geniculate nucleus

FA:

Fractional anisotropy

EPI:

Echo planar imaging

CBRG:

Flickering checkerboard with red dot and occasional green dot

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

BA:

Brodmann areas

RE:

Right eye

LE:

Left eye

ROI:

Region of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Shikha Gupta, Rohit Saxena, Vimala Menon & Pradeep Sharma

  2. Department of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance & MRI Facility, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, India

    Senthil S. Kumaran & Sunita Gudwani

Authors
  1. Shikha Gupta
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  2. Senthil S. Kumaran
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  3. Rohit Saxena
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  4. Sunita Gudwani
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Correspondence to Senthil S. Kumaran.

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The authors disclose they have no potential conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee and adheres to the tenets of declaration of Helsinki (1964) and its later amendments.

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This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants/their parents included in this study.

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Gupta, S., Kumaran, S.S., Saxena, R. et al. BOLD fMRI and DTI in strabismic amblyopes following occlusion therapy. Int Ophthalmol 36, 557–568 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-015-0159-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-015-0159-2

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