Evaluation of glaucomatous optic nerve using in vivo manganese-enhanced MRI

Abstract

To our knowledge, three dimensional, non-invasive in vivo imaging has not previously been possible for the detection of structural or functional neuronal damage of the rat visual pathway induced by glaucoma due to the small size of rat eyes. In this study, manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) was applied to evaluate dynamically the Mn2+ enhancements along the visual pathway following an induction of ocular hypertension in rat models of chronic glaucoma. Results showed that MEMRI can detect abnormalities in the glaucomatous optic nerves non-invasively, and may help understand the disease mechanisms and monitor the effect of drug interventions to glaucoma models.