Abstract
As the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognitive impairments and constitutes a major social burden. Currently, the invasiveness and high costs of tests have limited the early detection and intervention of the disease. As a unique window of the brain, retinal changes can reflect the pathology of the brain. In this review, we summarize current understanding of retinal structures in AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and preclinical AD, focusing on neurodegeneration and microvascular changes measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) technologies. The literature suggests that the impairment of retinal microvascular network and neural microstructure exists in AD, MCI and even preclinical AD. These findings provide valuable insights into a better understanding of disease pathogenesis and demonstrate that retinal changes are potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of AD and monitoring of disease progression.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia and the most common chronic neurodegenerative disease leading to cognitive impairment in the elderly
As for inner plexiform layer (IPL), a team showed no difference in cross-sectional observation or in the rate of change [69, 70]. These findings suggest that the individual retinal layers play different roles at different stages of AD, and the thickening and thinning of the outer layer, which contains a variety of cells, is not specific compared to the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC)
In conclusion, accumulating evidence has shown that the retina could provide valuable insights into the early diagnosis of AD
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia and the most common chronic neurodegenerative disease leading to cognitive impairment in the elderly. PRNFL, mRNFL, GCL, IPL, Preclinical No difference in the rate of change of any retinal layers AD
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