Abstract Details

Title Retinal Vascular Tortuosity Correlates with Retinal Amyloid Count: a Cohort Study

Topic Aging, Dementia, and Behavioral Neurology

Presentation(s) P9 - Poster Session 9 (12:00 PM-1:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 10-006

Objective

To analyze the relationship between retinal microvascular abnormalities and retinal amyloid-beta (Aβ) burden on autofluorescence retinal fundus photographs in a cohort of subjects with cognitive decline.

Background Retina is growingly recognized as a window into various cerebral conditions. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cognitive disorders exhibit retinal and choroidal vascular abnormalities and intraretinal accumulation of Aβ plaque. Retinal imaging modalities to quantify retinal vasculopathy and Aβ burden have remarkably advanced the field.

Design/Methods In this cross-sectional study, 33 subjects underwent neuropsyhcometric evaluation, brain MRI, and curcumin-enhanced retinal fluorescent imaging. The left eye supero-temporal quadrants were used to quantify Aβ plaque count (APC) and area (APA) in the posterior pole (PP), proximal mid-periphery (PMP), and distal mid-periphery (DMP). Vessel inflection index (VII) and branching angle (VBA) were computed in a predefined region of interest between 1.5 and 5 optic disc diameters. The diagnostic groups were compared for demographic, retinal and brain imaging parameters using Student’s t-test. Linear regression models assessed the correlations between retinal vascular and Aβ parameters.

Results Our cohort included 8 subjects with normal cognition (NC), 22 amnestic MCI (aMCI) and 3 probable AD (pAD). The groups did not appreciably differ in VII or VBA, but significantly greater APC in the PP and PMP was noted in AD and aMCI patients as compared to NC. VII correlated with APC and APA in the PP, and BA and VII were associated with APC in the DMP. Older patients had significantly larger APA in PMP (p=0.04).

Conclusions We found that certain retinal vascular changes correlate with Aβ count in the retinal posterior pole and distal mid-periphery. Future studies should be conducted in larger cohorts in order to determine the temporal and topographic relationship between retinal vasculopathy and retinal Aβ deposition in subjects with cognitive disorders.

Authors/Disclosures
Oana M. Dumitrascu, MD, F�鶹��ýӳ�� (Mayo Clinic) PRESENTER	Dr. Dumitrascu has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Tania Torbati, DO (Los Robles Health System)	Ms. Torbati has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
Steven Verdooner	No disclosure on file
Patrick D. Lyden, MD, F�鶹��ýӳ��	Dr. Lyden has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of University of Southern Californiaq. Dr. Lyden has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Apex Innovations. Dr. Lyden has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Expert Witness for Various. The institution of Dr. Lyden has received research support from NINDS.
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file

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