Do the eyes hold the key to earlier diagnosis of neurological conditions?
Researchers in the US are investigating whether changes in the eye may indicate early signs of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
A new study at NYU Langone Health will apply a novel eye-imaging technology called visible-light optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease.
It has been backed by US$1.6m in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of its new Oculomics Initiative. Oculomics is a relatively new term to describe the integrative use of technology and ocular imaging to identify retinal biomarkers of systemic disease.
“The goal is to find signatures of neurological disease by looking into the eye, which is an easily accessible window to the brain,” said researcher Dr. Srinivasan.
“Using visible-light OCT, we are able to capture high-resolution images of the retina to potentially detect the early and progressive changes that are associated with neurological conditions.”
Visible-light OCT can capture micrometer-level images of the retina to better detect subtle structural changes in neurodegeneration.
Traditional OCT uses near-infrared light, which can only capture at a resolution of 3 micrometers at best. It also enables molecular sensitivity in the retina. The technology will be used to map the retina among patients referred by cognitive neurologists and clinicians in the Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and the Pearl I. Barlow Center for Memory Evaluation and Treatment.
“We’re investigating important aspects of neuro-ophthalmology in this study and trying to answer three big questions,” said researcher Dr. Balcer.
“How can we distinguish eyes of those with neurological disease compared to those of disease-free individuals of similar age using visible-light OCT? How can we identify these conditions by looking at retinal layers? And how can we monitor the effects of therapies?”
It is hoped that the study could lead to a breakthrough in adding vision exams to assess and potentially even diagnose Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases at early stages.
Earlier detection could mean interventions are introduced sooner, or that patients can be enrolled sooner into clinical trials to help develop new therapies.
