Abstract #0349

1H MRS of the Visual Cortex Under Chronic Ocular Hypertension

Kevin C. Chan^1,2, Kwok-fai So³, Ed X. Wu^1,2

¹Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; ²Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; ³Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

This study aims to employ in vivo 1H MRS to monitor the metabolic changes in the visual cortex in an experimental model of chronic glaucoma. Five Sprague-Dawley rats were prepared to induce ocular hypertension unilaterally in the right eye by photocoagulating the episcleral and limbal veins using an argon laser. 1H MRS was performed to each side of the visual cortex 6 weeks after laser treatment. The results of this study suggest that glaucoma is associated with alterations in the metabolism of choline-containing compounds in the normally-appearing visual cortex. Measurement of the Cho:Cr reduction in the visual cortex may be a noninvasive biomarker for the disease.