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- 2019
Altered functional connectivity density in primary angle-closure glaucoma patients at resting-stateAbstract: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Glaucoma is characterized by a progressive apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the clinical manifestation of visual-field loss, and cupping of the optic nerve (1). In Asia, primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is more common than primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). The pathological increase of intraocular pressure (IOP) is a principal risk factor for glaucoma, causing optic neuropathy and eventually RGC death (2). However, extensive neuroimaging studies, including those using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), have confirmed that the damage is not only limited to the anterior visual pathway but occurs in the cerebral cortex as well. Misfolded protein deposition, a key feature of neurodegenerative diseases, was found in the optic nerve and the visual cortex of glaucoma patients (3-6). Functional MRI at resting-state has been widely used to demonstrate the problem structurally and functionally (6-9), and widespread dysfunction of spontaneous activity has also been previously indicated (10-12)
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