Researchers at Cedars-Sinai conducted a thorough study to understand how changes in the retina relate to brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease.
This work is a key step towards developing better treatments for this condition.
Alzheimer’s disease gradually destroys memory and thinking skills. Currently, there isn’t a single test that can diagnose it.
The researchers examined proteins and cellular changes in the retinas of people with Alzheimer’s and linked these to changes in the brain and cognitive function.
The retina, a part of the eye connected to the brain, offers a way to monitor the central nervous system without invasive procedures. The researchers discovered that toxic proteins build up in the retinas of Alzheimer’s patients, leading to severe cell damage.
Over 14 years, the team collected retina and brain samples from 86 donors. They compared samples from people with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s dementia. The team analyzed the retina’s physical features, inflammation markers, cell loss, and the proteins in both retinal and brain tissues.
They found an excess of a protein called amyloid beta 42, which accumulated in retinal cells. They also observed more astrocytes and microglia around amyloid beta plaques. These are brain cells involved in inflammation and clearing debris.
Notably, there were up to 80% fewer microglia to clear amyloid beta proteins from the retina and brain. This imbalance led to inflammation and cell death.
The changes in the retina matched changes in brain areas responsible for memory, navigation, and time perception. These retinal changes appeared even in patients with normal or mildly impaired cognition.
The researchers believe these findings could help predict cognitive decline early and lead to new diagnostic methods and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
If you are interested in Alzheimer’s, consider reading about its primary causes and how a common nutrient in meat might help prevent it. For more on brain health, look into recent studies on inflammation triggers in Alzheimer’s and how alcohol, coffee, and tea affect cognitive decline.
This study, led by Yosef Koronyo and published in Acta Neuropathologica, marks significant progress in understanding and potentially treating Alzheimer’s disease.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia, and strawberries can be good defence against Alzheimer’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about foods that reduce Alzheimer’s risk, and oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
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