TY - JOUR
T1 - Optical coherence tomography
T2 - A window into the mechanisms of multiple sclerosis
AU - Frohman, Elliot M.
AU - Fujimoto, James G.
AU - Frohman, Teresa C.
AU - Calabresi, Peter A.
AU - Cutter, Gary
AU - Balcer, Laura J.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - The pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by demyelination, which culminates in a reduction in axonal transmission. Axonal and neuronal degeneration seem to be concomitant features of MS and are probably the pathological processes responsible for permanent disability in this disease. The retina is unique within the CNS in that it contains axons and glia but no myelin, and it is, therefore, an ideal structure within which to visualize the processes of neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, and potentially even neurorestoration. In particular, the retina enables us to investigate a specific compartment of the CNS that is targeted by the disease process. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can provide high-resolution reconstructions of retinal anatomy in a rapid and reproducible fashion and, we believe, is ideal for precisely modeling the disease process in MS. In this Review, we provide a broad overview of the physics of OCT, the unique properties of this method with respect to imaging retinal architecture, and the applications that are being developed for OCT to understand mechanisms of tissue injury within the brain.
AB - The pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by demyelination, which culminates in a reduction in axonal transmission. Axonal and neuronal degeneration seem to be concomitant features of MS and are probably the pathological processes responsible for permanent disability in this disease. The retina is unique within the CNS in that it contains axons and glia but no myelin, and it is, therefore, an ideal structure within which to visualize the processes of neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, and potentially even neurorestoration. In particular, the retina enables us to investigate a specific compartment of the CNS that is targeted by the disease process. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can provide high-resolution reconstructions of retinal anatomy in a rapid and reproducible fashion and, we believe, is ideal for precisely modeling the disease process in MS. In this Review, we provide a broad overview of the physics of OCT, the unique properties of this method with respect to imaging retinal architecture, and the applications that are being developed for OCT to understand mechanisms of tissue injury within the brain.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=57249107934&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=57249107934&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/ncpneuro0950
DO - 10.1038/ncpneuro0950
M3 - Review article
C2 - 19043423
AN - SCOPUS:57249107934
SN - 1745-834X
VL - 4
SP - 664
EP - 675
JO - Nature Clinical Practice Neurology
JF - Nature Clinical Practice Neurology
IS - 12
ER -