Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the retinal arteriolar central reflex (CR, the central reflection observed in photographs of retinal vessels), which may provide information about micro-vascular health in the retina and also the brain, due to the homology between these vascular networks. The study also describes a novel computer based semi-automated technique that accurately quantifies retinal arteriolar CR and vessel width, and calculates the CR to vessel width ratio (CRR) from digital retinal photographs. Methods: Digital retinal photographs were collected from participants in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study of ageing (AIBL), including 25 participants diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (age 72.4 ± 7.5 yrs, 12 male, 13 female) and 123 elderly participants without dementia (cognitively normals: CN) (age 71.6 ± 5.6 yrs, 55 male, 68 female). Using a sub-cohort of 144 (22 AD, 122 CN) with the novel CRR measures, we identified significantly higher CRR levels in AD participants (mean CRR 0.253 (SD 0.04)) as compared with CN’s (mean CRR 0.231 (SD 0.04), p = 0.025). Adjustment for APOE ε4 allele status however, reduced the significance (p = 0.081). CRR was significantly higher in APOE ε4 allele carriers (mean CRR 0.254 (SD 0.03) as compared with non-carriers (mean CRR 0.224 (SD 0.05), p < 0.0001). Results: These data indicate that CRR is strongly linked to APOE ε4 status and exhibits a weaker, independent trend with AD diagnosis. The retina may be useful as a novel model for non-invasive monitoring of the effects of APOE ε4 on the central nervous system, particularly in cerebrovascular disease.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Current Alzheimer Research |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Pages (from-to) | 916-923 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISSN | 1567-2050 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01.09.2017 |
Funding
We thank all the participants who took part in this study and the clinicians who referred participants. The Australian Imaging, Biomarker & Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL) study is a collaboration between CSIRO Australia, Edith Cowan University (Perth, Western Australia, Australia), The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), National Ageing Research Institute and Austin Health (Parkville, Victoria, Australia). It also involves support from CogState Ltd. (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), Hollywood Private Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia). The AIBL study received funding support from the Science and Industry Endowment Fund, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Dementia Collaborative Research Centres (DCRC), Alzheimer's Australia and the McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation, as well as Industry.
