You are here

Article Text

Article menu

Download PDFPDF

Clinical science
Scientific reports
Human glaucoma and neural degeneration in intracranial optic nerve, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex
Free
  1. N Gupta1,2,3,4,
  2. L-C Ang3,
  3. L Noël de Tilly5,
  4. L Bidaisee4,
  5. Y H Yücel2,3,4,*
  1. 1Glaucoma and Nerve Protection Unit, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  2. 2Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada
  3. 3Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Canada
  4. 4St Michael’s Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
  5. 5Diagnostic Imaging and Neuroradiology, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  1. Correspondence to: Yeni H Yücel MD PhD FRCPC (Neuropathology), Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory, University of Toronto, St Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, West Annex, Room 1-026, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1W8; yeni.yucel{at}utoronto.ca

Abstract

The pathology of glaucoma has been extensively studied at the level of the retina and optic nerve head. Here the first clinicopathological case of human glaucoma is reported demonstrating degenerative changes in the brain involving the intracranial optic nerve, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex. Pathological evidence of neural degeneration in this patient is correlated with clinical, optic nerve head, visual field, and neuroradiology findings. Neuropathology in the glaucoma brain is compared to age matched controls. In the presence of advanced human glaucoma with 50% visual field loss, neural damage is evident in multiple vision stations within the brain.

  • GHT, glaucoma hemifield test
  • H&E/LFB, haematoxylin and eosin/luxol fast blue
  • IOP, intraocular pressure
  • LGN, lateral geniculate nucleus
  • MD, mean deviation
  • MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
  • PSD, pattern standard deviation
  • RGC, retinal ganglion cell
  • human glaucoma
  • pathology
  • visual field
  • optic nerve
  • lateral geniculate nucleus
  • visual cortex
  • GHT, glaucoma hemifield test
  • H&E/LFB, haematoxylin and eosin/luxol fast blue
  • IOP, intraocular pressure
  • LGN, lateral geniculate nucleus
  • MD, mean deviation
  • MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
  • PSD, pattern standard deviation
  • RGC, retinal ganglion cell
  • human glaucoma
  • pathology
  • visual field
  • optic nerve
  • lateral geniculate nucleus
  • visual cortex

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.2005.086769

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text

    Footnotes

    • ↵* Present address: Department of Pathology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

    • Competing interest statement: there are no competing interests to be declared.

    Linked Articles

    • Editorial
      How much is the brain involved in glaucoma?
      A Alm
      British Journal of Ophthalmology 2006; 90 663-664 Published Online First: 18 May 2006. doi: 10.1136/bjo.2006.090167
    • BJO at a glance
      BJO at a glance
      Creig Hoyt
      British Journal of Ophthalmology 2006; 90 663-663 Published Online First: 18 May 2006. doi: 10.1136/bjo.2006.bjjune06atag