Abstract
Background: Recent work on Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis focuses on neuroimaging modalities; however, these methods are expensive, invasive, and not available to all patients. Ocular imaging of biomarkers, such as drusen in the peripheral retina, could provide an alternative method to diagnose AD.
Objective: This study compares macular and peripheral drusen load in control and AD eyes.
Methods: Postmortem eye tissues were obtained from donors with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD. Retina from normal donors were processed and categorized into younger (<55 years) and older (>55 years) groups. After fixation and dissection, 3-6 mm punches of RPE/choroid were taken in macular and peripheral (temporal, superior, and inferior) retinal regions. Oil red O positive drusen were counted and grouped into two size categories: small (<63 μm) and intermediate (63-125 μm).
Results: There was a significant increase in the total number of macular and peripheral hard drusen in older, compared to younger, normal eyes (p<0.05). Intermediate hard drusen were more commonly found in the temporal region of AD eyes compared to older normal eyes, even after controlling for age (p<0.05). Among the brain and eye tissues from AD donors, there was a significant relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) severity and number of temporal intermediate hard drusen (r=0.78, p<0.05).
Conclusion: Imaging temporal drusen in the eye may have benefit for diagnosing and monitoring progression of AD. Our results on CAA severity and temporal intermediate drusen in the AD eye are novel. Future studies are needed to further understand the interactions among CAA and drusen formation.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, peripheral drusen, biomarker, temporal retina, eye, brain.
Current Alzheimer Research
Title:Drusen in the Peripheral Retina of the Alzheimer’s Eye
Volume: 15 Issue: 8
Author(s): Kresimir Ukalovic, Sijia Cao, Sieun Lee, Qiaoyue Tang, Mirza Faisal Beg, Marinko V. Sarunic, Ging-Yuek R. Hsiung, Ian R. Mackenzie, Veronica Hirsch-Reinshagen, Jing Z. Cui and Joanne A. Matsubara*
Affiliation:
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC,Canada
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, peripheral drusen, biomarker, temporal retina, eye, brain.
Abstract: Background: Recent work on Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis focuses on neuroimaging modalities; however, these methods are expensive, invasive, and not available to all patients. Ocular imaging of biomarkers, such as drusen in the peripheral retina, could provide an alternative method to diagnose AD.
Objective: This study compares macular and peripheral drusen load in control and AD eyes.
Methods: Postmortem eye tissues were obtained from donors with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD. Retina from normal donors were processed and categorized into younger (<55 years) and older (>55 years) groups. After fixation and dissection, 3-6 mm punches of RPE/choroid were taken in macular and peripheral (temporal, superior, and inferior) retinal regions. Oil red O positive drusen were counted and grouped into two size categories: small (<63 μm) and intermediate (63-125 μm).
Results: There was a significant increase in the total number of macular and peripheral hard drusen in older, compared to younger, normal eyes (p<0.05). Intermediate hard drusen were more commonly found in the temporal region of AD eyes compared to older normal eyes, even after controlling for age (p<0.05). Among the brain and eye tissues from AD donors, there was a significant relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) severity and number of temporal intermediate hard drusen (r=0.78, p<0.05).
Conclusion: Imaging temporal drusen in the eye may have benefit for diagnosing and monitoring progression of AD. Our results on CAA severity and temporal intermediate drusen in the AD eye are novel. Future studies are needed to further understand the interactions among CAA and drusen formation.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Ukalovic Kresimir , Cao Sijia , Lee Sieun, Tang Qiaoyue , Beg Faisal Mirza , Sarunic V. Marinko , Hsiung R. Ging-Yuek, Mackenzie R. Ian, Hirsch-Reinshagen Veronica , Cui Z. Jing and Matsubara A. Joanne *, Drusen in the Peripheral Retina of the Alzheimer’s Eye, Current Alzheimer Research 2018; 15 (8) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567205015666180123122637
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567205015666180123122637 |
Print ISSN 1567-2050 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5828 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
New Advances in the Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Alzheimer's Disease
Aims and Scope: Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing prevalence that demands concerted efforts to advance our understanding and strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. This thematic issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and innovative approaches from multidisciplinary perspectives to address ...read more
Current updates on the Role of Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neuroinflammation is an invariable hallmark of chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders and has long been considered a potential drug target for Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and dementia. Significant evidence of inflammatory processes as a feature of AD is provided by the presence of inflammatory markers in plasma, CSF and postmortem brain ...read more
Deep Learning for Advancing Alzheimer's Disease Research
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing number of individuals affected yearly. Deep learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, has shown immense potential in various domains, including healthcare. This thematic issue of Current Alzheimer Research explores the application of deep learning techniques in advancing our ...read more
Diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of dementia
Dementia affects 18 million people worldwide. Dementia is a syndrome of symptoms caused by brain disease, usually chronic or progressive, clinically characterized by multiple impairments of higher cortical functions such as memory, thinking, orientation, and learning. In addition, in the course of dementia, cognitive deficits are observed, which often hinder ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3) Inhibitors as a New Lead for Treating Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Current Drug Targets Bladder Cancer: Update on Risk Factors, Molecular and Ultrastructural Patterns
Current Medicinal Chemistry Exploiting Substrate Recognition for Selective Inhibition of Protein Kinases
Current Pharmaceutical Design Hsp70 Structure, Function, Regulation and Influence on Yeast Prions
Protein & Peptide Letters Sodium Dependent Multivitamin Transporter (SMVT): A Potential Target for Drug Delivery
Current Drug Targets Fork Head Transcription Factors
Current Genomics The Brain, the Penis and Steroid Hormones: Clinical Correlates with Endothelial Dysfunction
Current Pharmaceutical Design NO to Breast: When, Why and Why Not?
Current Pharmaceutical Design Anti-Vasopermeability Effects of PEDF in Retinal-Renal Disorders
Current Molecular Medicine Editorial (Hot Topic: Network Pharmacology: An Emerging Field in Cancer Drug Discovery)
Current Drug Discovery Technologies A Review of Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants Important for Health and Longevity
Current Medicinal Chemistry Tachykinins and their Receptors in Human Malignancies
Current Drug Targets Adrenoceptors: Non Conventional Target for Breast Cancer?
Current Medicinal Chemistry Role of Nuclear Steroid Receptors in Apoptosis
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Interest of Folic Acid in Targeted Photodynamic Therapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry Cutting through the Complexities of mTOR for the Treatment of Stroke
Current Neurovascular Research Editorial [Hot Topic: The RB-Pathway in Cancer (Executive Editor: Erik Knudsen)]
Current Molecular Medicine Collateral Damage Control in Cancer Therapy: Defining the Stem Identity in Gliomas
Current Pharmaceutical Design Targeted Therapies in Solid Tumours: Pinpointing the Tumours Achilles Heel
Current Pharmaceutical Design Biomarkers Downstream of RAS: A Search for Robust Transcriptional Targets
Current Cancer Drug Targets