Evaluation of the relationship between retinal nerve layer thickness and corpus callosum atrophy in MRI with memory impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease in which demyelination and loss of axons lead to disruption of communication between neurons in the central nervous system. Cognitive impairment occurs in a significant proportion of patients with MS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and corpus callosum atrophy in magnetic resonance imaging with memory disorders in patients with MS. METHODS: This descriptive analytical study was performed on patients with a diagnosis of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis referred to the clinic of Ali Ibn Abi Talib Hospital in Zahedan, Iran. An information form that includes a Mini–Mental State Examination was first prepared, by which the patient’s memory impairment is measured. After recording the data, the data were collected using an information form and finally analyzed by SPSS software version 22 using an independent t-test. RESULTS: In this study, 80 patients with MS primary progressive multiple sclerosis were included in the study, of which 53 were female and 27 were male. The mean age of patients was 45.1 ± 5.9 years, which did not show a statistically significant difference (P = 0.536). The mean RNFL thickness in patients with memory impairment was significantly lower than that in patients without memory impairment. The mean corpus callosum thickness was found to be significantly lower in patients with memory impairment than in patients without memory impairment. CONCLUSION: All in all, the results of this study showed that the thickness of RNFL and the corpus callosum in patients with memory impairment was significantly lower than that in patients without memory impairment.