Reduced Cortical Thickness in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma and Its Relationship to the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness

OBJECTIVES: To examine possible changes in cortical thickness and their relationship to retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients with POAG and 40 matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination and a high resolution structural magnetic resonance scan. Cortical thickness analysis was used to assess the changes between patients and controls. Correlations between the thickness of the visual cortex and RNFL thickness were also analyzed. Finally, the relationship between the severity of changes in the visual cortex and RNFL thickness was evaluated by comparing patients with mild and severe groups. RESULTS: POAG patients showed significant bilateral cortical thinning in the anterior half of the visual cortex around the calcarine sulci (left BA 17 and BA 18, right BA17) and in some smaller regions located in the left middle temporal gyrus (BA37) and fusiform gyrus (BA19). The thickness of the visual cortex correlated positively with RNFL thickness (left, r = 0.44, p = 0.01; right, r = 0.38, p = 0.03). Significant differences between mild and severe groups were observed with regard to both RNFL thickness and the thickness of bilateral visual cortex (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that cortical thickness analysis may be sufficiently sensitive to detect cortical alterations in POAG and that the measurement has great potential for clinical application.