Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation to Determine Disturbed Spontaneous Brain-Activity Pattern in Patients with Diabetic Optic Neuropathy

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the spontaneous brain activity in patients with diabetic optic neuropathy (DON) by using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) technique. METHODS: Sixteen DON patients and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. ALFF along with functional MRI method was used to detect the intrinsic brain activity alterations. The mean values of ALFF in DON patients and HCs were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and ALFF values of DONs. RESULTS: The DON group showed significantly increased ALFF values in the fusiform gyrus, and decreased ALFF values in the medial frontal gyrus/left frontal superior orbit/right frontal medial orbit, and left frontal inferior triangle. ROC curve analysis indicated that the accuracy of AUC was good. The anxiety scale and depression scale of the DON group were negatively correlated with the ALFF values of the medial frontal gyrus. CONCLUSION: DON is a neurodegenerative disease involving multiple brain regions. The abnormal activity of neurons in these brain regions helps to reveal the underlying neural mechanisms of brain activity related to DON.