Talks
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Neuroscience
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Faculty
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Neuroscience
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Abstract
Introduction: Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) is the most common type of form of dementia in older adults. Detection and diagnosis are based on invasive and expensive procedures including PET scanning and lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Optical Tomography Coherence (OCT) angiography may be an alternative solution for early, cost-effective non-invasive detection of AD. We aimed to conduct a systematic review to summarize the current evidence describing the association between OCT angiography and AD using PubMed as data source.
Methods: Pubmed was used to compile resources for a systematic review. Keywords used include “Alzheimer’s disease”, “preclinical Alzheimer’s disease”, “OCT”, “OCTA”, “neurovascular degeneration”, “retina”, “vessel density”, “foveal avascular zone”, “Optical imaging”, “dementia”, “optic nerve”, “retinal biomarkers”, and “retinal imaging.” Only original research studies were included in this systematic review.
Results: Macular volume and choroidal thickness were both decreased. OCTA demonstrated reduced vascular density in the macula, superficial, and deep vascular plexus in AD. There was an inverse relationship between vessel density and associated AD risk. There was also foveal avascular zone enlargement. Limitations of these studies are often secondary to the small sample sizes. Furthermore, there needs to be repeat testing to validate that OCTA imaging may perform better than the gold-standard neuropathological examination. Another challenge would be the lack of specificity for the detection of AD, because microvascular retinal changes are not exclusive to AD and may occur in other neurodegenerative disorders
Conclusions: Assessment of the retinal microcirculation might represent a unique and novel opportunity to investigate AD. Imaging modalities have shown neurovascular changes, amyloid beta and tau deposition, neurodegenerative changes, and inflammation, all of which may potentially be used as new biomarkers. Imaging may also be used in the future as an objective measure to track disease progression. Future studies are needed for deeper understanding of the pathophysiology relationship between AD and the retina. Furthermore, studies need to be expanded to include more participants with more diverse demographics. This new information could lead to innovation in optical imaging technology and a standardization of retinal imaging used in the diagnosis and management of AD.
Recommended Citation
Tah, Giani C.; Mejia-Arango, Silvia; Zwir, Igor; Flores-Hernandez, Lorena; Maestre, Gladys E.; and Melgarejo, Jesus D., "Identification of Retinal Microvasculature Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Disorders Using Optical Tomography Coherence Angiography: A Systematic Review" (2025). Research Symposium. 13.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/talks/13
Included in
Identification of Retinal Microvasculature Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Disorders Using Optical Tomography Coherence Angiography: A Systematic Review
Introduction: Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) is the most common type of form of dementia in older adults. Detection and diagnosis are based on invasive and expensive procedures including PET scanning and lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Optical Tomography Coherence (OCT) angiography may be an alternative solution for early, cost-effective non-invasive detection of AD. We aimed to conduct a systematic review to summarize the current evidence describing the association between OCT angiography and AD using PubMed as data source.
Methods: Pubmed was used to compile resources for a systematic review. Keywords used include “Alzheimer’s disease”, “preclinical Alzheimer’s disease”, “OCT”, “OCTA”, “neurovascular degeneration”, “retina”, “vessel density”, “foveal avascular zone”, “Optical imaging”, “dementia”, “optic nerve”, “retinal biomarkers”, and “retinal imaging.” Only original research studies were included in this systematic review.
Results: Macular volume and choroidal thickness were both decreased. OCTA demonstrated reduced vascular density in the macula, superficial, and deep vascular plexus in AD. There was an inverse relationship between vessel density and associated AD risk. There was also foveal avascular zone enlargement. Limitations of these studies are often secondary to the small sample sizes. Furthermore, there needs to be repeat testing to validate that OCTA imaging may perform better than the gold-standard neuropathological examination. Another challenge would be the lack of specificity for the detection of AD, because microvascular retinal changes are not exclusive to AD and may occur in other neurodegenerative disorders
Conclusions: Assessment of the retinal microcirculation might represent a unique and novel opportunity to investigate AD. Imaging modalities have shown neurovascular changes, amyloid beta and tau deposition, neurodegenerative changes, and inflammation, all of which may potentially be used as new biomarkers. Imaging may also be used in the future as an objective measure to track disease progression. Future studies are needed for deeper understanding of the pathophysiology relationship between AD and the retina. Furthermore, studies need to be expanded to include more participants with more diverse demographics. This new information could lead to innovation in optical imaging technology and a standardization of retinal imaging used in the diagnosis and management of AD.
