Abnormal retinal vascular function and cognitive loss in Alzheimer's Disease patients

Abstract

AbstractPurpose To identify signs of abnormal retinal vascular function and their relationship to cognition deficits in newly diagnosed mild AD patientsMethods Retinal arterial and venous reaction times to flickering light were assessed in 10 AD patients and 28 age‐matched healthy individuals by means of Dynamic Vessels Analysis (DVA). Minimental state examination (MMSE) and Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination‐Revised (ACE‐R), as well as blood pressure measurements and blood analyses for lipid metabolism markers were also performed in patients and controls.Results AD patients demonstrated differences in their vascular reaction times to repeated cycles of flicker exposure at the retinal arterial level compared with healthy controls, which correlated with the degree of the patients’ cognitive impairment at the time of the testConclusion It proposed that a simple screening of the retinal vascular function could offer valuable information about risk for future vascular complications as well as progressive cognitive decline in newly diagnosed patients suffering from mild AD.