|
|
|
First signs of Alzheimer’s
might appear in your eyes, study finds |
|
Research has been exploring how the eye could help
diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms begin. The disease is well
advanced by the time memory and behavior are affected. If doctors are able to identify
the disease in its earliest stages via non-invasive eye tests, people could
make healthy lifestyle choices and control their “modifiable risk factors,
like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes,” said Dr. Richard
Isaacson, an Alzheimer’s preventive neurologist at the Institute for
Neurodegenerative Diseases. A recent study examined donated
tissue from the retina and brains, over 14 years, from 86 people with
Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. The researchers then compared
samples from donors with normal cognitive function to those with mild
cognitive impairment and those with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The study found significant
increases in beta-amyloid, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease, in people
with both Alzheimer’s and early cognitive decline in both brain and retina
tissue. Microglial cells declined 80%
in those with cognitive issues, the study found. These cells are responsible
for repairing and maintaining other cells, including clearing beta-amyloid
from the brain and retina. It also found higher numbers of
immune cells tightly surrounding amyloid beta plaques, as well as other cells
responsible for inflammation
and cell and tissue death. Tissue atrophy and inflammation
in cells in the far periphery of the retina were most predictive of cognitive
status, the study found. “The findings were also
apparent in people with no or minimal cognitive symptoms, which suggests
these new eye tests may be well-positioned to aid in early diagnosis,” said
Isaacson, who did not work on the study. While these tests don’t
currently exist, Isaacson noted this work could help lead to these tests in
the future. “These findings may eventually
lead to the development of imaging techniques that allow us to diagnose
Alzheimer’s disease earlier and more accurately,” Isaacson said, “and monitor
its progression noninvasively by looking through the eye.” |

No comments:
Post a Comment