Affiliations: [a]
Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan
| [b]
Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Prof. Koji Abe, Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan. Tel.: +81 86 235 7365; Fax: +81 86 235 7368; E-mail: kohtdkr0511@gmail.com.
Abstract: Background:Cost-effective and noninvasive methods for in vivo imaging of amyloid deposition are needed to screen Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although retinal amyloid is a possible diagnostic marker of AD, there are very few studies on in vivo retinal amyloid imaging. Objective:To examine the usefulness of in vivo imaging of retinal amyloid in AD patients. Methods:To examine amyloid deposition, 30 Japanese subjects (10 normal control (NC), 7 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 13 with AD) underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, including fundus imaging by scanning laser ophthalmoscopy before and after oral curcumin intake. Results:Retinal amyloid deposition was greater in AD than in NC subjects (*p < 0.05) while MCI showed a slight but insignificant increase of retinal amyloid deposition relative to NC subjects. Retinal amyloid deposition was correlated with whole gray matter atrophy (r = 0.51, *p < 0.05) but not with the cognitive score of the Mini-Mental State Examination, nor with medial temporal lobe atrophy. Conclusion:The present noninvasive in vivo detection of retinal amyloid deposition is useful for screening AD patients.
