July 2019
Volume 60, Issue 9
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   July 2019
Blue light stimulation of melanopsin retinal ganglion cells reveals visual cortex activation and modulates cognition in LHON patients
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Chiara La Morgia
    IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy
    Unit of Neurology, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Stefania Evangelisti
    Functional MR Unit, University of Bologna, Italy
  • Claudia Testa
    Functional MR Unit, University of Bologna, Italy
  • Gilles Vandewalle
    Cyclotron Research Center, University of Liege, Belgium
  • Claudio Bianchini
    Functional MR Unit, University of Bologna, Italy
  • David Neil Manners
    Functional MR Unit, University of Bologna, Italy
  • Paola Fantazzini
    Department of Physics, University of Bologna, Italy
    Centro Enrico Fermi, Italy
  • Michele Carbonelli
    IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy
  • Alfredo A Sadun
    Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Caterina Tonon
    Functional MR Unit, University of Bologna, Italy
  • Raffaele Lodi
    Functional MR Unit, University of Bologna, Italy
    Unit of Neurology, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Valerio Carelli
    IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy
    Unit of Neurology, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Chiara La Morgia, None; Stefania Evangelisti, None; Claudia Testa, None; Gilles Vandewalle, None; Claudio Bianchini, None; David Neil Manners, None; Paola Fantazzini, None; Michele Carbonelli, None; Alfredo Sadun, None; Caterina Tonon, None; Raffaele Lodi, None; Valerio Carelli, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science July 2019, Vol.60, 2272. doi:
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      Chiara La Morgia, Stefania Evangelisti, Claudia Testa, Gilles Vandewalle, Claudio Bianchini, David Neil Manners, Paola Fantazzini, Michele Carbonelli, Alfredo A Sadun, Caterina Tonon, Raffaele Lodi, Valerio Carelli; Blue light stimulation of melanopsin retinal ganglion cells reveals visual cortex activation and modulates cognition in LHON patients. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2019;60(9):2272.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose : To evaluate the contribution of melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs) to visual and non-visual processes in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) by light stimulation with fMRI.

Methods : We evaluated 12 LHON patients with complete ophthalmological evalaution and 13 matched healthy controls (HC). All participants underwent a brain MR-protocol including visual and visual-cognitive fMRI paradigms: 1) a pure visual task with pseudorandom alternation of blue (480 nm), red (620 nm) and darkness 2) a visual-cognitive task. Transient, 10s and 50s sustained effects of light stimulation were analyzed. A general linear model and linear model regressors were applied for statistical analysis.

Results : Transient responses were similar for both groups. The occipital cortex was significantly activated only in HC with 10s sustained red light. Visual and non-visual cortices showed higher responses in HC for red light, while the opposite was evident in LHON (blue>red).
With longer sustained effects (50s), visual cortex activations were present in both groups with both colors with a lower activation for red light in LHON compared to HC. Occipital pole activation responses were higher with blue vs red in LHON compared to HC who, on the contrary, showed higher occipital activation with red light. A higher brain activity was present when the cognitive task was performed under blue light compared to red only in LHON patients, mainly in the frontal gyri, parieto-occipital regions and insular cortex.

Conclusions : This study demonstrates a significantly higher occipital pole activation in response to blue compared to red light sustained stimulation in LHON compared to HC. The opposite pattern was documented in HC, in which higher occipital response was evident with red compared to blue light. Moreover, a stronger effect of blue light on cognition was demonstrated only in LHON patients. These findings confirm the relative sparing of mRGCs in LHON and strongly support the possible contribution of these cells to visual and non visual functions.

This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.

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