Use of OCT in the search for biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Over the last 10 years, research has increasingly demonstrated that the retina, a tissue in the central nervous system that grows from the brain, is affected by various pathological processes in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.Some of the changes widely detected in these diseases are abnormal deposition of different proteins in the retinal and choroid layers, retinal glial changes, neuronal death as well as changes in the vision of these patients.OCT provides high‐resolution two‐dimensional cross‐sectional imaging and three‐dimensional volumetric measurements, making it particularly useful for analysing retinal structural abnormalities consistent with disease pathogenesis. This tool can help us to measure hallmark signs and structural‐functional biomarkers in the accessible retina to assess risk, disease progression, and therapeutic efficacy in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.In this SIS, we will review the findings found in the retina by OCT and Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A) in different neurodegenerative diseases and the use of new machine learning techniques in the search for a guide to be used in clinical practice, to assess risk, disease progression, and therapeutic efficacy in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.