Decreased Retinal Thickness in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease.
- Author:
Bong Hui KANG
1
;
Jae Il KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Neurology, Dankook University Medical College, Cheonan, Korea. neurokji@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Alzheimer's disease;
Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography;
Retinal nerve fiber layer;
Ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer
- MeSH:
Alzheimer Disease;
Biomarkers;
Ganglion Cysts;
Humans;
Nerve Fibers;
Retina;
Retinaldehyde;
Tomography, Optical Coherence
- From:Journal of the Korean Neurological Association
2013;31(3):173-177
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The loss of ganglion cells observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients might be attributable to a neurodegenerative process involving the neuroretinal structure. The objective of this study was to determine the retinal thickness in patients with AD using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Neuro-ophthalmologic examinations were performed in eight AD patients and eight age-matched control subjects. The average thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) were measured using spectral-domain OCT in both subject groups, and the results were compared. RESULTS: The RNFL was thinner in AD patients than in the age-matched controls (p<0.05), especially at the nasal and inferior retina, and the GCIPL was also significantly thinner (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The decreased retinal thickness observed in AD patients suggests that OCT can be used as a biological marker of AD. The findings of this preliminary study suggest that the extent of the reduction in GCIPL and RNFL thicknesses should be investigated further.
