Brief takeaway

Researchers found that protein deposits presented in our retinal areas can supply some help for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This is possible because researchers have confirmed a strong association between the chances of having AD and the presence of retinal spots in the eyes. The retinal spots are also known as the Amyloid deposits, abnormal protein deposition in the brain. This finding of the retinal imaging test is more revealing because, with its ease of access and noninvasive feature, it can serve in community settings to detect AD other than being confined to expensive or invasive tests.

Let’s talk about the benefits assured by early Alzheimer's disease diagnosis!

 Since Alzheimer's disease usually comes on stage as people age. As the number of elderly Americans keeps rising in the 21st century, so does the incidence of AD. The CDC estimated that around 6.5 million Americans have AD. For people 65 and older, it is the fifth leading cause of death. And for all and sundry, it is the seventh leading cause of death (CDC, 2022). According to the World Alzheimer's Disease Report, early diagnosis and intervention can significantly improve the cognitive function of AD patients and delay their time of hospital stays. Early diagnosis can reduce the expenditure on anti-dementia drugs in the later stage, which has remarkable economic benefits (International et al., 2011).

How can eyes reveal symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

Amyloid plaque structure is formed by abnormal deposition of amyloid protein outside neurons in our brain, which blocks some functions and ultimately leads to neuronal death (Yang Y, et al., 2022). This specific amyloid deposition can manifest itself in the retina, which is supported because it often occurs in patients with a clinical diagnosis of AD. Therefore, Amyloid plaque is viewed as the hallmark of AD. Based on this supportive evidence, Dr. Carol Y Zhang and his team drew 648 patients’ retinal information from Alzheimer's disease archive and compared them with 3,240 people who don't have Alzheimer's. Then, Dr. Carol trained a deep-learning algorithm to validate and test its ability to identify Alzheimer's disease by looking at retinal images. All the practices show that the algorithm is reliable and accurate in detecting AD. What’s more, due to its ease of access, retinal imaging tests can be carried out in community settings.

Journal cited:

Cheung, C. Y., Ran, A. R., Wang, S., Chan, V. T. T., Sham, K., Hilal, S., Venketasubramanian, N., Cheng, C.-Y., Sabanayagam, C., Tham, Y. C., Schmetterer, L., McKay, G. J., Williams, M. A., Wong, A., Au, L. W. C., Lu, Z., Yam, J. C., Tham, C. C., Chen, J. J., … Wong, T. Y. (2022, September 30). A deep learning model for detection of Alzheimer’s disease based on retinal photographs: A retrospective, Multicentre Case-control study. The Lancet Digital Health. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(22)00169-8/fulltext#%20

References

CDC. (2020, October 26). What is Alzheimer’s disease? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm#:~:text=Alzheimer's%20disease%20is%20the%20most,thought%2C%20memory%2C%20and%20language.

CDC. (2022, September 27). Alzheimer's disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/dotw/alzheimers/index.html#:~:text=Alzheimer's%20disease%20is%20the%20most,of%20death%20for%20all%20adults.

International, A. D., Ferri, C., Prince, M., & Bryce, R. (2011, September 21). Adi - World Alzheimer Report 2011. Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.alzint.org/resource/world-alzheimer-report-2011/

Yang Y, et al. (2022). Amyloid structure linked to different types of Alzheimer’s disease. National Institute on Aging. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/amyloid-structure-linked-different-types-alzheimers-disease