Your eyes reveal the risk of Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid plaques are protein deposits that accumulate between brain cells, which hinder function and ultimately lead to neuronal death

However, amyloid deposition not only occurs in the brain, but may also occur in the eyes of the "window of the mind"

In a small cross-sectional study, a research team led by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine compared the A4 study and another study (longitudinal assessment of amyloid and neurodegeneration risk) in patients’ retina and brain amyloid levels , To assess the individual’s risk of neurodegeneration

Researchers have observed that the presence of retinal plaques in the eyes is associated with brain amyloid found in brain scans, indicating that it is expected to become a biomarker of AD

The results of these studies were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia on August 17

Robert Rissman, professor of neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said: "This is a small initial data set involving eight patients

"However, these results are encouraging because they indicate that it is possible in the future to determine the onset, spread, and morphology of AD through retinal imaging, rather than the more difficult and expensive brain scans

Rissman said that the next step will be to conduct a larger study to more comprehensively record and determine the relationship between retinal amyloid and brain amyloid, including cross-sectional and longitudinal

###

Feasibility study for detection of retinal amyloid in clinical trials: The Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (A4) trial

First published: 17 August 2021 https://doi.