Ocular amyloid imaging at the crossroad of Alzheimer's disease and age-related macular degeneration: implications for diagnosis and therapy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are important disorders of aging, but significant challenges remain in diagnosis and therapy. Amyloid-beta (Aβ), found in the brain and a defining feature of AD, has also been observed in the retina in both AD and AMD. While current diagnostic modalities for detecting Aβ in the brain are costly or invasive, Aβ in the retina can be noninvasively and conveniently imaged using modern photonic imaging systems such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). Moreover, since many of these retinal changes occur before degenerative changes can be detected in the brain, ocular amyloid biomarkers could be utilized to detect AD as well as AMD in their earliest stages when therapy may be most effective in halting disease progression. Novel technologies to quantify retinal biomarkers have the potential to facilitate early diagnosis and noninvasive monitoring of disease progression with important therapeutic implications.

Duke Scholars

Author Eleonora Georgeta Lad Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Diseases & Surgery

Author Alan David Proia Pathology

Author Heather Elizabeth Whitson Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care

Author Sina Farsiu Biomedical Engineering

Author P. Murali Doraiswamy Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...