Structural network disruption after optic neuritis in Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated disease

Abstract

Background: Optic neuritis is a common manifestation of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), which displays distinctive features that differ from other demyelinating diseases. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the alterations in white matter (WM) connectivity post-optic neuritis in patients with MOGAD. Methods: We enrolled patients with MOGAD presenting with optic neuritis (MOGAD-ON) (N = 18) and healthy controls (HC) (N = 35). Structural connections between any pair of 90 cortical and subcortical regions were established using diffusion tensor imaging and graph theory. Network-based statistics were employed to identify disrupted patterns in WM networks. Additionally, we investigated the association between WM network integrity and visual acuity. Results: Analysis of WM networks revealed that MOGAD-ON patients exhibited reduced total strength, global efficiency, and local efficiency compared to HCs (all, p < 0.05). At the nodal level, MOGAD-ON patients showed more regions with altered network topologies than HCs, some of which were associated with visual acuity and visual functional scores. NBS identified the most discriminative connectivity changes in the left hippocampus, thalamus, inferior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and middle temporal occipital gyrus. Conclusion: This study indicates that MOGAD-ON patients experience significant disruptions in WM networks, particularly in the left temporal and occipital lobes.