Loss of Retinal Cells may Signal Alzheimer’s Presence in the Body

A new study shows that the loss a particular layer of retinal cells may be linked to Alzheimer's issues in the body.

"The retina is an extension of the brain so it makes sense to see if the same pathologic processes found in an Alzheimer's brain are also found in the eye," R. Scott Turner, MD, Ph.D., director of the Memory Disorders Program at GUMC said, via a press release. Turner is the only U.S. author on the study. "We know there's an association between glaucoma and Alzheimer's in that both are characterized by loss of neurons, but the mechanisms are not clear."

Researchers from George Washington University Medical Center and the University of Hong Kong examined retinas from the eyes of mice that had been genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease.

Turner notes that glaucoma may be seen as a neurodegenerative disorder that is identical to AD.

Study authors found that the inner nuclear layer of the retina showed a 37 percent loss of neurons. The retinal ganglion cell that was also measured for thickness showed a 49 percent loss in comparison to healthy, age-matched control mice.

"This study suggests another path forward in understanding the disease process and could lead to new ways to diagnose or predict Alzheimer's that could be as simple as looking into the eyes," Turner added. "Parallel disease mechanisms suggest that new treatments developed for Alzheimer's may also be useful for glaucoma."

More information regarding the study was present at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.