Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by neuronal loss, extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, and intracellular neurofibrillary tau tangles. A diagnosis is currently made from the presenting symptoms, and the only definitive diagnosis can be done post-mortem. Over recent years, significant advances have been made in using ocular biomarkers to diagnose various neurodegenerative diseases, including AD. As the eye is an extension of the central nervous system (CNS), reviewing changes in the eye’s biology could lead to developing a series of non-invasive, differential diagnostic tests for AD that could be further applied to other diseases. Significant changes have been identified in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), cornea, ocular vasculature, and retina. In the present paper, we review current research and assess some ocular biomarkers’ accuracy and reliability that could potentially be used for diagnostic purposes. Additionally, we review the various imaging techniques used in the measurement of these biomarkers.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that was first described more than a century ago by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (Auguste, 1907; Jarvik and Greenson, 1987)
This study demonstrates how Aβ plaques can be an ocular biomarker for AD due to the correlation between AD progression/severity and Aβ plaque burden in the retina (Koronyo-Hamaoui et al, 2011)
No significant difference in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was discovered in AD and control groups Decrease of RNFL thickness in the superior quadrant in the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group compared to controls
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that was first described more than a century ago by German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (Auguste, 1907; Jarvik and Greenson, 1987). AD usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. Symptoms can include difficulties with language abilities, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect, and behavioral issues. AD is a degenerative neural disease caused by an abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain that kills cells and damages neurons’ connections. AD, over time, leads to chronic irreversible and progressive brain cell death (Lim et al, 2016)
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