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Retinal Neuro-vascular Coupling in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Not Applicable
Conditions
Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting
Optic Neuritis
Interventions
Device: Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA)
Device: Fourier Domain Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography (FDOCT)
Device: Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
Device: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)
Registration Number
NCT03401879
Lead Sponsor
Medical University of Vienna
Brief Summary

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.3 million patients worldwide, with a global median prevalence of 33 per 100,000. MS is diagnosed at an average of 30 years and affects twice as many women as men. MS is traditionally diagnosed by the presentation of lesions of the central nervous system, disseminated in time and in space, proven by clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. Several anatomical parameters in the eye, both vascular and neural, have been found to be altered in MS patients.

Because of its unique optical properties, the eye offers the possibility of the non-invasive assessment of both structural and functional alterations in neuronal tissue. As the neuro-retina is part of the brain, it does not come as a surprise that neuro-degenerative changes in the brain are accompanied by structural and possibly also functional changes in the neuro-retina and the ocular vasculature.

The current study seeks to test the hypothesis that beside the known anatomical changes, also functional changes can be detected in the retina of patients with MS. For this purpose, flicker light induced hyperemia will be measured in the retina as a functional test to assess the coupling between neural activity and blood flow. Further, structural parameters such as retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and function parameters such as ocular blood flow and retinal oxygenation will be assessed and compared to age and sex matched controls.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
50
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Patients with MSOptical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Patients with MSDynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA)Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Healthy control subjectsOptical coherence tomography (OCT)Healthy age- and sex- matched control subjects
Patients with MSFourier Domain Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography (FDOCT)Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Healthy control subjectsOptical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)Healthy age- and sex- matched control subjects
Patients with MSOptical coherence tomography (OCT)Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Healthy control subjectsDynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA)Healthy age- and sex- matched control subjects
Healthy control subjectsFourier Domain Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography (FDOCT)Healthy age- and sex- matched control subjects
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Flicker induced increase in retinal blood flow1 day

Response of retinal blood flow to flicker light assessed with FDOCT

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Layer specific flow signal1 day

Retinal layer specific blood flow signal measured using OCTA

Retinal vessel diameters1 day

Response of retinal vessel diameters to flicker light assessed with DVA

Retinal oxygen saturation1 day

Retinal oxygen saturation measured with DVA

Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness1 day

Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured using OCT

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna

🇦🇹

Vienna, Austria

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