How MRI can distinguish between two types of optic neuritis?

Have you ever heard of optic neuritis? It's an inflammation of the optic nerve that can cause vision problems. But not all optic neuritis is the same! Scientists have discovered that two types, MOG-ON and seronegative-ON, have differences in how the brain organizes and communicates. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they studied 53 patients and 26 healthy controls. They found that the brains of patients with MOG-ON have abnormal properties, especially in the visual network. Additionally, the brains of these patients show greater variability in global and nodal properties compared to healthy controls. This study could help diagnose these two types of optic neuritis more accurately and quickly, improving disease management.

The study used graph theory analysis to investigate the topological properties of brain functional networks. This technique allows representing the brain as a network of nodes (brain areas) and connections (interactions between areas). Scientists found that patients with MOG-ON have greater variability in global and nodal properties compared to healthy controls. This means that their brain has less stable organization and communication. Additionally, they found that the subnetwork (24 nodes and 28 edges) in the visual network was enhanced in patients with MOG-ON. This could explain why these patients have more severe visual problems. For differential diagnosis, the combination of static and dynamic approaches yielded the best results.