Abnormal interhemispheric resting-state functional connectivity in primary open-angle glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness and it has been the topic of massive studies to explore the underlying mechanisms of the disease. Resting-state neuroimaging studies have been widely applied to investigate the functional damage of the brain, but little is known about the alterations of the interhemispheric resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). In the present study, we used a newly developed voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method to explore the interhemispheric RSFC of the brain in POAG patients. The result showed decreased VMHC in the precuneus and the occipital lobe including calcarine and cuneus, as well as increased VMHC in the lingual gyrus, insula, supramarginal gyrus, and frontal gyrus. Meanwhile, we found the mean VMHC in precuneus was negatively correlated (r=-0.551, P=0.041) with Cup-to-disk Ratio. Significant differences between POAG patients and normal controls reveal the altered brain regions and the functional damage, strengthening the understanding of the primary open-angle glaucoma.