Abnormalities in the Visual Pathway of Rats Subjected to Early Bilateral Enucleation Revealed by Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Xuxia Wang¹, Fuchun Lin¹, Tingzhu Lin¹, Hao Lei¹

In this study, diffusion tensor imaging and high resolution rapid-acquisition relaxation-enhancement (RARE) imaging were used to detect the morphological and structural changes in the brain of rats subjected to early bilateral enucleation at postnatal day 4. Profound atrophy was observed in the ON and OCH of the enucleated rats, likely a manifestation of transneuronal degeneration induced by deafferentation. The optic tract of the enucleated rats did not appear to be atrophic, but exhibited water diffusion abnormalities resembling those found in Wallerian degeneration. The primary visual cortex of the enucleated rats showed no changes in water diffusivity.