Ophthalmology-Based Neuropathology Risk Factors: Diabetic Retinopathy is Associated with Deep Microinfarcts in a Community-Based Autopsy Study.

The eye offers opportunities to capture critical information regarding the health of the brain, as the neurological anatomy and the microvasculature of the retina are very closely related to those of the brain and can be similarly affected by certain pathological processes. In this study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Dr. Cecilia Lee and her co-authors compared brain neuropathology findings with known clinical information to determine if there were any associations between certain eye diseases and the presence of characteristic neuropathologic lesions of Alzheimer's disease. The authors analyzed the data from 676 patients from Adult Changes in Thought, a prospective longitudinal study in older patients who are followed over time and monitored for development of cognitive decline and dementia.

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Associations between recent and established ophthalmic conditions and risk of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease affects millions of adults and is the most common type of dementia. Identifying risk factors for Alzheimer's may lead to early detection and preventive measures that are based on a better understanding of the disease processes involved. The eye provides substantial information on brain health, and may give some clues to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Eye conditions such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy have some shared characteristics with Alzheimer's disease, such as progressive neurodegeneration, characteristic amyloid beta deposits, and microvascular disease. This study aimed to investigate potential associations between four eye conditions (glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and cataract) with Alzheimer's disease in a large cohort of patients.

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