This page is alzhub.org's plain-English summary of a published study, not the paper itself. It is generated from the record we hold for this study, sourced and linked below — check the original for the full text and methods.

46/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 46 out of 100. Mild cognitive impairment

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

The neurosensory retina emerges as a prominent site of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. As a CNS extension of the brain, the neuro retina is easily accessible for noninvasive, high-resolution imaging. Studies have shown that along with cognitive decline, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD often suffer from visual impairments, abnormal electroretinogram patterns, and circadian rhythm disturbances that can, at least in part, be attributed to retinal damage. Over a decade ago, our group identified the main pathological hallmark of AD, amyloid β-protein (Aβ) plaques, in the retina of patients including early-stage clinical cases. Subsequent histological, biochemical and in vivo retinal imaging studies in animal models and in humans corroborated these findings and further revealed other signs of AD neuropathology in the retina. Among these signs, hyperphosphorylated tau, neuronal degeneration, retinal thinning, vascular abnormalities and gliosis were documented. Further, linear correlations between the severity of retinal and brain Aβ concentrations and plaque pathology were described. More recently, extensive retinal pericyte loss along with vascular platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β deficiency were discovered in postmortem retinas of MCI and AD patients. This progressive loss was closely associated with increased retinal vascular amyloidosis and predicted cerebral amyloid angiopathy scores. These studies brought excitement to the field of retinal exploration in AD. Indeed, many questions still remain open, such as queries related to the temporal progression of AD-related pathology in the retina compared to the brain, the relations between retinal and cerebral changes and whether retinal signs can predict cognitive decline. The extent to which AD affects the retina, including the susceptibility of certain topographical regions and cell types, is currently under intense investigation. Advances in retinal amyloid imaging, hyperspectral imaging, optical coherence tomography, and OCT-angiography encourage the use of such modalities to achieve more accurate, patient- and user-friendly, noninvasive detection and monitoring of AD. In this review, we summarize the current status in the field while addressing the many unknowns regarding Alzheimer's retinopathy.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

This is a narrative review. This review describes evidence that the retina shows signs of Alzheimer's disease pathology, including amyloid plaques, hyperphosphorylated tau, neuronal degeneration, retinal thinning, vascular abnormalities and gliosis. It suggests the retina may be a site for noninvasive imaging, but does not report a treatment or cure.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Mirzaei, N., Shi, H., Oviatt, M., Doustar, J., Rentsendorj, A., Fuchs, D. T., et al. (2020). Alzheimer's Retinopathy: Seeing Disease in the Eyes. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00921

Vancouver

Mirzaei N, Shi H, Oviatt M, Doustar J, Rentsendorj A, Fuchs DT, et al. Alzheimer's Retinopathy: Seeing Disease in the Eyes. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2020. doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.00921. PMID: 33041751.

BibTeX

@article{mirzaei2020-33041751,
  author  = {Mirzaei, N. and Shi, H. and Oviatt, M. and Doustar, J. and Rentsendorj, A. and Fuchs, D. T. and Sheyn, J. and Black, K. L. and others},
  title   = {{Alzheimer's Retinopathy: Seeing Disease in the Eyes}},
  journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.3389/fnins.2020.00921},
  pmid    = {33041751},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00921}
}

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

How to read this study

Design: this is a narrative review. It summarises a field without a fixed search method, so it shows how authors read the evidence rather than measuring it. Use it to find the primary studies, not as a result in itself.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

New to reading papers? Six questions to ask of any Alzheimer’s study · how we score.

Key findings

Studies have shown that along with cognitive decline, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD often suffer from visual impairments, abnormal electroretinogram patterns, and circadian rhythm disturbances that can, at least in part, be attributed to retinal damage.
Subsequent histological, biochemical and in vivo retinal imaging studies in animal models and in humans corroborated these findings and further revealed other signs of AD neuropathology in the retina.
This progressive loss was closely associated with increased retinal vascular amyloidosis and predicted cerebral amyloid angiopathy scores.
Indeed, many questions still remain open, such as queries related to the temporal progression of AD-related pathology in the retina compared to the brain, the relations between retinal and cerebral changes and whether retinal signs can predict cognitive decline.

Why it matters

This review describes evidence that the retina shows signs of Alzheimer's disease pathology, including amyloid plaques, hyperphosphorylated tau, neuronal degeneration, retinal thinning, vascular abnormalities and gliosis. It suggests the retina may be a site for noninvasive imaging, but does not report a treatment or cure.

Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 46/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in neuroscience)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Frontiers in Neuroscience: journal h-index 226 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 127 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	15.9 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 8.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 3 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 63 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Maya Koronyo‐Hamaoui: h-index 42 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: institution h-index 866 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33041751)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	46 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.

Studies this one cites

Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 40.

Later studies that cite this one

3 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.

Related studies in Mild cognitive impairment from nearby years

Also in Mild cognitive impairment

76 studies in the library are filed under Mild cognitive impairment with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Mild cognitive impairment hub.

Similar studies

More on Mild cognitive impairment

See all studies in Mild cognitive impairment →