Exploring White Matter Integrity in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: Insights from Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus Tractography

Motivation: LHON causes vision loss due to optic nerve degeneration, but the involvement of other WM tracts like the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) remains understudied. Understanding ILF alterations could provide insight into visual and cognitive changes in LHON. Goal(s): To identify microstructural differences in the ILF between LHON patients and healthy controls. Approach: Thirteen LHON patients and 13 matched controls underwent MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging and probabilistic tractography. FA, MD, and RD were evaluated. Results: The left ILF in LHON patients showed lower FA and higher RD and MD, indicating possible demyelination and axonal changes, while the right ILF remained similar to controls. Impact: The results provide new insights into ILF changes in LHON, guiding future research into white matter's role in visual symptoms. This enhanced finding could lead to an increase in the knowledge of disease development aimed to targeted therapeutic strategies.