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Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Shalev, I; Moffitt, TE; Wong, TY; Meier, MH; Houts, RM; Ding, J; Cheung, CY; Ikram, MK; Caspi, A; Poulton, R
Published in: Psychol Sci
July 1, 2013

Why do more intelligent people live healthier and longer lives? One possibility is that intelligence tests assess health of the brain, but psychological science has lacked technology to evaluate this hypothesis. Digital retinal imaging, a new, noninvasive method to visualize microcirculation in the eye, may reflect vascular conditions in the brain. We studied the association between retinal vessel caliber and neuropsychological functioning in the representative Dunedin birth cohort. Wider venular caliber was associated with poorer neuropsychological functioning at midlife, independently of potentially confounding factors. This association was not limited to any specific test domain and extended to informants' reports of cohort members' cognitive difficulties in everyday life. Moreover, wider venular caliber was associated with lower childhood IQ tested 25 years earlier. The findings indicate that retinal venular caliber may be an indicator of neuropsychological health years before the onset of dementing diseases and suggest that digital retinal imaging may be a useful investigative tool for psychological science.

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Published In

Psychol Sci

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

Publication Date

July 1, 2013

Volume

24

Issue

7

Start / End Page

1198 / 1207

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Wechsler Scales
  • Venules
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Retinal Vessels
  • Prospective Studies
  • Photography
  • Organ Size
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Linear Models
 

Citation

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Shalev, I., Moffitt, T. E., Wong, T. Y., Meier, M. H., Houts, R. M., Ding, J., … Poulton, R. (2013). Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology. Psychol Sci, 24(7), 1198–1207. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612470959
Shalev, Idan, Terrie E. Moffitt, Tien Y. Wong, Madeline H. Meier, Renate M. Houts, Jie Ding, Carol Y. Cheung, M Kamran Ikram, Avshalom Caspi, and Richie Poulton. “Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology.Psychol Sci 24, no. 7 (July 1, 2013): 1198–1207. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612470959.
Shalev I, Moffitt TE, Wong TY, Meier MH, Houts RM, Ding J, et al. Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology. Psychol Sci. 2013 Jul 1;24(7):1198–207.
Shalev, Idan, et al. “Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology.Psychol Sci, vol. 24, no. 7, July 2013, pp. 1198–207. Pubmed, doi:10.1177/0956797612470959.
Shalev I, Moffitt TE, Wong TY, Meier MH, Houts RM, Ding J, Cheung CY, Ikram MK, Caspi A, Poulton R. Retinal vessel caliber and lifelong neuropsychological functioning: retinal imaging as an investigative tool for cognitive epidemiology. Psychol Sci. 2013 Jul 1;24(7):1198–1207.
Journal cover image

Published In

Psychol Sci

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

Publication Date

July 1, 2013

Volume

24

Issue

7

Start / End Page

1198 / 1207

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Wechsler Scales
  • Venules
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Retinal Vessels
  • Prospective Studies
  • Photography
  • Organ Size
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Linear Models