Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have conducted a comprehensive analysis of retinal changes in Alzheimer’s disease patients, discovering the accumulation of highly toxic proteins in the retina. These changes lead to cognitive decline in patients and can be an early predictor of later cognitive decline. The study found that changes in the retina correlated with changes in parts of the brain called the entorhinal and temporal cortices, responsible for memory, navigation, and the perception of time. These changes could lead to the development of new diagnostics and treatments for the disease. With the help of the collaborators, the study was able to identify specific molecules and biological pathways responsible for inflammation, cell, and tissue death. The study is the largest group of retinal samples from human patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment thus far studied. These findings give us a deeper understanding of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the retina, and because these changes correspond with changes in the brain, they may lead to new forms of treatment.
Cedars-Sinai Researchers Analyze Retinal Changes in Alzheimer’s Patients
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have conducted a thorough analysis of changes in the retina and how they correspond with cognitive and brain changes in Alzheimer’s patients. The study, published in Acta Neuropathologica, is a critical step in understanding the intricate effects of Alzheimer’s on the retina, especially in the early stages of cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer’s disease affects more than three million Americans each year, progressively destroying memory and cognitive ability. Currently, there is no definitive test to diagnose Alzheimer’s, and the newest treatments only slow down the progression of the disease.
According to Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, a professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of the study, “Our study is the first to provide in-depth analyses of the protein profiles and the molecular, cellular, and structural effects of Alzheimer’s disease in the human retina and how they correspond with changes in the brain and cognitive function. These findings may eventually lead to the development of imaging techniques that allow us to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease earlier and more accurately and monitor its progression noninvasively by looking through the eye.”
The research is a significant step forward in understanding the complex effects of Alzheimer’s on the retina, particularly in the early stages of cognitive impairment. By mapping changes to the retina that correspond to brain changes, the study opens up a path to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments to halt the disease’s progression.
Retinal Changes Indicate Alzheimer’s Disease Progression
In a comprehensive analysis of retinal changes in Alzheimer’s disease patients, researchers at Cedars-Sinai have discovered the accumulation of highly toxic proteins in the retina. The accumulation of this protein causes severe degeneration of cells, leading to cognitive decline in patients.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, is the largest group of retinal samples from human patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment thus far studied. Investigators looked at retinal and brain tissue samples collected over 14 years from 86 human donors. They compared samples from donors with normal cognitive function to those with mild cognitive impairment at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and those with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
According to Yosef Koronyo, MSc, research associate in the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery and first author of the study, “The retina, a developmental extension of the brain, offers an unparalleled opportunity for affordable, noninvasive monitoring of the central nervous system. And with the help of our collaborators, we discovered the accumulation of highly toxic proteins in the retinas of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment, causing severe degeneration of cells.”
Investigators found an overabundance of a protein called amyloid beta 42 in the retinas of patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This protein clumps together in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients to form plaques that disrupt brain function. Additionally, there was an accumulation of amyloid beta protein in ganglion cells and higher numbers of astrocytes and microglia surrounding amyloid beta plaques. The study also found specific molecules and biological pathways responsible for inflammation, cell, and tissue death.
The changes in the retina correlated with changes in parts of the brain called the entorhinal and temporal cortices, which are responsible for memory, navigation, and the perception of time. Retinal changes also correlated with the pathological stage of Alzheimer’s disease and patients’ cognitive status. These changes were found even in patients who appeared cognitively normal or mildly impaired, indicating they could be an early predictor of later cognitive decline.
Keith L. Black, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and the Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neuroscience at Cedars-Sinai and a co-author of the study, said, “These findings give us a deeper understanding of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the retina. Because these changes correspond with changes in the brain and can be detected in the earliest stages of impairment, they may lead us to new diagnostics for Alzheimer’s disease and a means to evaluate new forms of treatment.” The study opens up the possibility of earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have published a study in the Acta Neuropathologica journal that looks at retinal changes in Alzheimer’s disease patients. The study, which was supported by a range of private foundations and the National Institutes of Health, found a correlation between changes in the retina and changes in the brain, suggesting that retinal changes could be an early predictor of later cognitive decline. The findings of the study offer new insights into the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the retina and could lead to the development of new diagnostics and treatments for the disease.
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