Changes in the retina could hold Alzheimer's clue
Published 17 July 2011
Blood vessels in the retina could hold clues to the development of Alzheimer's disease according to a study presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Paris today.
The researchers examined photographs of people's retinas and found that the blood vessels in the retinas of people with Alzheimer's were significantly narrower compared to the control group. Brain scans taken for these people confirmed that they also had build up of amyloid plaques - a hallmark of the disease.
Alzheimer's Society comment:
'We know that blood vessels in the retina narrow in people with Alzheimer's. By monitoring changes in their size researchers could potentially spot the development of the disease using a relatively non-invasive procedure. However, this narrowing of blood vessels is also seen in people with more general vascular problems such as heart disease. More research in this area is now needed to see whether a distinction can be made between these two groups.
'A million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years yet research remains drastically underfunded. If we can delay the onset of dementia by five years we can halve the number of people who will die with the disease.'
Dr Anne Corbett
Research Manager
Alzheimer's Society
Research Reference: 'Retinal Vascular Parameters as Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease', Shaun Frost, M.Sc., CSIRO, Australian e-Health Research Center
