New Zealand researchers suggest that the health of blood vessels as well as the thickness of your retina could reveal your risk of dementia at advanced age. The retina is a fine and transparent membrane that lines the bottom of the eye.
Microvascular health of the retina, an important indicator
A study published three years ago by researchers from the University of Otago (New Zealand) was interested in the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer and that of the layers of lymph node cells (of the retina) of the elderly on average of 45 years. They had discovered a link between the thinning of the retina and a deterioration of the cognitive capacities of the participants in the study.
The researchers had hypothesized that the layer of retinal nerve fibers could be a useful biomarker of the early cognitive decline, a precursor sign of dementia. Nevertheless, the authors of this study considered that additional studies should be carried out to confirm this link.
And it’s done! Other studies have been published on the subject since then, by the same team of researchers. Based on the 2022 study database (which was based on the health data of New Zealanders born in 1972-1973), the researchers carried out new works.
This time, they gathered photos and scanners of the participants’ retina and submitted them to tests aimed at assessing their risk of dementia. They found that the thickness of the retina was weakly associated with the risk of dementia. On the other hand, microvascular health (tiny blood vessels) of the fabric was much more revealing of the risk of dementia. “”Retinal health measures, in particular microvascular measures, make it possible to effectively detect the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, even at 45, which is not considered an advanced age “said the researchers.
A track for a new method of early dementia?
This discovery could make it possible to develop a new method of early dementia screening. “”Retinal microvascular imaging could be an accessible, scalable and relatively inexpensive method to assess the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in adults of middle age “commented the authors of the study.
For Dr. Ashleigh Barrett-Young, the main co-author of the study, “Many pathological processes of Alzheimer’s disease are reflected in the retina, making it an interesting target as a biomarker to identify people at risk of developing dementia “.