Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Neurology
Published in: BMC Neurology 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Thinner changes of the retinal nerve fiber layer in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Authors: Dachuan Liu, Lina Zhang, Zhen Li, Xuxiang Zhang, Yue Wu, Huiqing Yang, Baoquan Min, Xinqing Zhang, Daqing Ma, Yan Lu

Published in: BMC Neurology | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and patients often have visual disorders. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by a memory deficit when compared with those of a similar age and education level which could indicate an earlier onset of AD. The aim of this study is to measure the changes of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of AD and MCI patients in comparison with the normal age controls.

Methods

The RNFL thickness was assessed using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with MCI, AD (mild, moderate and severe) and the age matched controls.

Results

The thickness of RNFL in the superior quadrant and total mean values are gradually and significantly decreased from MCI to severe AD when compared to that in the controls. There is also a significant reduction of the retinal nerve fiber layer in the inferior quadrant in severe AD patients.

Conclusions

Our data indicate that the retinal nerve fiber layer degeneration is paralleled with dementia progression. Owing to its non-invasive and cost effective nature, monitoring RNFL thickness may have a value in assessing disease progression and the efficacy of any treatments.
Literature
1.
Kesler A, Vakhapova V, Korczyn AD, Naftaliev E, Neudorfer M. Retinal thickness in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2011;113(7):523–6.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Risacher SL, Wudunn D, Pepin SM, MaGee TR, McDonald BC, Flashman LA, et al. Visual contrast sensitivity in Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and older adults with cognitive complaints. Neurobiol Aging. 2013;34(4):1133–44.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Werner P, Korczyn AD. Mild cognitive impairment: conceptual, assessment, ethical, and social issues. Clin Interv Aging. 2008;3(3):413–20.PubMedPubMedCentral
4.
Petersen RC, Doody R, Kurz A, Mohs RC, Morris JC, Rabins PV, et al. Current concepts in mild cognitive impairment. Arch Neurol. 2001;58(12):1985–92.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Petersen RC, Stevens JC, Ganguli M, Tangalos EG, Cummings JL, DeKosky ST. Practice parameter: early detection of dementia: mild cognitive impairment (an evidence-based review). Report of the quality standards subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2001;56(9):1133–42.CrossRefPubMed
6.
7.
Jaffe GJ, Caprioli J. Optical coherence tomography to detect and manage retinal disease and glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 2004;137(1):156–69.CrossRefPubMed
8.
9.
Blanks JC, Torigoe Y, Hinton DR, Blanks RH. Retinal pathology in Alzheimer’s disease I Ganglion cell loss in foveal/parafoveal retina. Neurobiol Aging. 1996;17(3):377–84.CrossRefPubMed
10.
11.
Larrosa JM, Garcia-Martin E, Bambo MP, Pinilla J, Polo V, Otin S, et al. Potential new diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s disease using a linear discriminant function for fourier domain optical coherence tomography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014;55(5):3043–51.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Polo V, Garcia-Martin E, Bambo MP, Pinilla J, Larrosa JM, Satue M, et al. Reliability and validity of Cirrus and Spectralis optical coherence tomography for detecting retinal atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease. Eye. 2014;28(6):680–90.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
13.
Kromer R, Serbecic N, Hausner L, Froelich L, Aboul-Enein F, Beutelspacher SC. Detection of retinal nerve fiber layer defects in Alzheimer’s disease using SD-OCT. Front Psychiatry. 2014;5:22.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
14.
Shi Z, Wu Y, Wang M, Cao J, Feng W, Cheng Y, et al. Greater attenuation of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in Alzheimer’s disease patients. J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;40(2):277–83.PubMed
15.
Shen Y, Shi Z, Jia R, Zhu Y, Cheng Y, Feng W, et al. The attenuation of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and cognitive deterioration. Front Cell Neurosci. 2013;7:142.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
16.
Hinton DR, Sadun AA, Blanks JC, Miller CA. Optic-nerve degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. N Engl J Med. 1986;315(8):485–7.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Curcio CA, Drucker DN. Retinal ganglion cells in Alzheimer’s disease and aging. Ann Neurol. 1993;33(3):248–57.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Davies DC, McCoubrie P, McDonald B, Jobst KA. Myelinated axon number in the optic nerve is unaffected by Alzheimer’s disease. Br J Ophthalmol. 1995;79(6):596–600.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
19.
McKhann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology. 1984;34(7):939–44.CrossRefPubMed
20.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.
21.
Petersen RC, Smith GE, Waring SC, Ivnik RJ, Tangalos EG, Kokmen E. Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome. Arch Neurol. 1999;56(6):760.CrossRef
22.
Berisha F, Feke GT, Trempe CL, McMeel JW, Schepens CL. Retinal abnormalities in early Alzheimer’s disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48(5):2285–9.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Lu Y, Li Z, Zhang X, Ming B, Jia J, Wang R, et al. Retinal nerve fiber layer structure abnormalities in early Alzheimer’s disease: evidence in optical coherence tomography. Neurosci Lett. 2010;480(1):69–72.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Paquet C, Boissonnot M, Roger F, Dighiero P, Gil R, Hugon J. Abnormal retinal thickness in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Neurosci Lett. 2007;420(2):97–9.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Parisi V, Restuccia R, Fattapposta F, Mina C, Bucci MG, Pierelli F. Morphological and functional retinal impairment in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Clin Neurophysiol. 2001;112(10):1860–7.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Armstrong RA. Visual field defects in Alzheimer’s disease patients may reflect differential pathology in the primary visual cortex. Optom Vis Sci. 1996;73(11):677–82.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Schlotterer G, Moscovitch M, Crapper-McLachlan D. Visual processing deficits as assessed by spatial frequency contrast sensitivity and backward masking in normal ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. Brain. 1984;107(Pt 1):309–25.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Cogan DG. Visual disturbances with focal progressive dementing disease. Am J Ophthalmol. 1985;100(1):68–72.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Nissen MJ, Corkin S, Buonanno FS, Growdon JH, Wray SH, Bauer J. Spatial vision in Alzheimer’s disease. General findings and a case report. Arch Neurol. 1985;42(7):667–71.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Kergoat H, Kergoat MJ, Justino L, Chertkow H, Robillard A, Bergman H. An evaluation of the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness by scanning laser polarimetry in individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2001;79(2):187–91.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Koronyo Y, Salumbides BC, Black KL, Koronyo-Hamaoui M. Alzheimer’s disease in the retina: imaging retinal abeta plaques for early diagnosis and therapy assessment. Neurodegener Dis. 2012;10(1–4):285–93.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Koronyo-Hamaoui M, Koronyo Y, Ljubimov AV, Miller CA, Ko MK, Black KL, et al. Identification of amyloid plaques in retinas from Alzheimer’s patients and noninvasive in vivo optical imaging of retinal plaques in a mouse model. NeuroImage. 2011;54 Suppl 1:S204–17.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Williams PA, Thirgood RA, Oliphant H, Frizzati A, Littlewood E, Votruba M, et al. Retinal ganglion cell dendritic degeneration in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2013;34(7):1799–806.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Guo L, Duggan J, Cordeiro MF. Alzheimer’s disease and retinal neurodegeneration. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2010;7(1):3–14.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Thinner changes of the retinal nerve fiber layer in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors
Dachuan Liu
Lina Zhang
Zhen Li
Xuxiang Zhang
Yue Wu
Huiqing Yang
Baoquan Min
Xinqing Zhang
Daqing Ma
Yan Lu
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Neurology / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2377
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-015-0268-6

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

BMC Neurology 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research article

Overview and evaluation of 15 years of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance in Belgium, 1998-2012

Research article

Trust behavior in Parkinson’s disease: results of a trust game experiment

Research article

Defining pediatric traumatic brain injury using International Classification of Diseases Version 10 Codes: A systematic review

Research article

Analysis of risk factors for medication-overuse headache relapse: a clinic-based study in China

Research article

Rotigotine transdermal system as add-on to oral dopamine agonist in advanced Parkinson’s disease: an open-label study

Research article

Personal and environmental factors to consider when aiming to improve participation in physical activity in children with Spina Bifida: a qualitative study