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Amyloid Beta Immunoreactivity in the Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer of the Alzheimer's Eye
Lee S, Jiang K, McIlmoyle B, To E, Xu QA, Hirsch-Reinshagen V, Mackenzie IR, Hsiung GR et al.. Frontiers in neuroscience, 2020-07-31
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia, accounting for 60-70% of all dementias. AD is often under-diagnosed and recognized only at a later, more advanced stage, and this delay in diagnosis has been suggested as a contributing factor in the numerous unsuccessful AD treatment trials. Although there is no known cure for AD, early diagnosis is important for disease management and care. A hallmark of AD is the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ)-containing senile neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosporylated tau in the brain. However, current in vivo methods to quantify Aβ in the brain are invasive, requiring radioactive tracers and positron emission tomography. Toward development of alternative methods to assess AD progression, we focus on the retinal manifestation of AD pathology. The retina is an extension of the central nervous system uniquely accessible to light-based, non-invasive ophthalmic imaging. However, earlier studies in human retina indicate that the literature is divided on the presence of Aβ in the AD retina. To help resolve this disparity, this study assessed retinal tissues from neuropathologically confirmed AD cases to determine the regional distribution of Aβ in retinal wholemounts and to inform on future retinal image studies targeting Aβ. Concurrent post-mortem brain tissues were also collected. Neuropathological cortical assessments including neuritic plaque (NP) scores and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) were correlated with retinal Aβ using immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and quantitative image analysis. Aβ load was compared between AD and control (non-AD) eyes. Our results indicate that levels of intracellular and extracellular Aβ retinal deposits were significantly higher in AD than controls. Mid-peripheral Aβ levels were greater than central retina in both AD and control eyes. In AD retina, higher intracellular Aβ was associated with lower NP score, while higher extracellular Aβ was associated with higher CAA score. Our data support the feasibility of using the retinal tissue to assess ocular Aβ as a surrogate measure of Aβ in the brain of individuals with AD. Specifically, mid-peripheral retina possesses more Aβ deposition than central retina, and thus may be the optimal location for future in vivo ocular imaging.
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APA 7th
Lee, S., Jiang, K., McIlmoyle, B., To, E., Xu, Q. A., Hirsch-Reinshagen, V., et al. (2020). Amyloid Beta Immunoreactivity in the Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer of the Alzheimer's Eye. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00758
Vancouver
Lee S, Jiang K, McIlmoyle B, To E, Xu QA, Hirsch-Reinshagen V, et al. Amyloid Beta Immunoreactivity in the Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer of the Alzheimer's Eye. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2020. doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.00758. PMID: 32848548.
BibTeX
@article{lee2020-32848548,
author = {Lee, S. and Jiang, K. and McIlmoyle, B. and To, E. and Xu, Q. A. and Hirsch-Reinshagen, V. and Mackenzie, I. R. and Hsiung, G. R. and others},
title = {{Amyloid Beta Immunoreactivity in the Retinal Ganglion Cell Layer of the Alzheimer's Eye}},
journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.3389/fnins.2020.00758},
pmid = {32848548},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00758}
}
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Key findings
- However, earlier studies in human retina indicate that the literature is divided on the presence of Aβ in the AD retina.
- Our results indicate that levels of intracellular and extracellular Aβ retinal deposits were significantly higher in AD than controls.
- In AD retina, higher intracellular Aβ was associated with lower NP score, while higher extracellular Aβ was associated with higher CAA score.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
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. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 41 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multicenter collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32848548) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 24 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 41 out of 100. |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
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