Advances in neuroimaging of the visual pathways and their use in glaucoma.

Recently developed neuroimaging techniques such as diffusion tensor (DT) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, functional MR imaging (fMRI), and MR spectroscopy can be used to evaluate the microstructural integrity of white-matter fibers and the functional activity of gray matter. They have been widely employed to investigate various diseases of the central nervous system, and they can be useful tools for assessing the integrity and functional connections of the visual pathways and areas that play key roles in glaucoma. In vivo degeneration of the optic nerves can be noninvasively demonstrated by DT MR imaging.

Temporal window of metabolic brain vulnerability to concussion: a pilot 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopic study in concussed athletes--part III.

Objective: In the present study, the occurrence of the temporal window of brain vulnerability was evaluated in concussed athletes by measuring N-acetylaspartate (NAA) using proton magnetic resonance (H-MR) spectroscopy.

Methods: Thirteen nonprofessional athletes who had a sport-related concussive head injury were examined for NAA determination by means of H-MR spectroscopy at 3, 15, and 30 days postinjury. All athletes but three suspended their physical activity.