Evaluation of the anterior visual pathway in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with optical coherence tomography and diffusion tensor imaging

Involvement of the visual pathway in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been demonstrated. However, the exact damage mechanisms such as how the changes in the distinct parts of the anterior visual pathway (AVP) are still poorly understood and remain highly controversial. We observed altered RNFL, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity and relative anisotropy of AVP by the multimodal use of optical coherence tomography and DTI in ALS individuals compared to the controls. Our findings shed light on the dynamic pathophysiological effects on the morphology of the AVP and the potential association between microstructural damage to the AVP and executive function.