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Optical Coherence Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases
Doustar J, Torbati T, Black KL, Koronyo Y, Koronyo-Hamaoui M.. Frontiers in neurology, 2017-12-19
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Over the past decade, a surge of evidence has documented various pathological processes in the retina of patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and other neurodegenerative diseases. Numerous studies have shown that the retina, a central nervous system tissue formed as a developmental outgrowth of the brain, is profoundly affected by AD. Harboring the earliest detectable disease-specific signs, amyloid β-protein (Aβ) plaques, the retina of AD patients undergoes substantial ganglion cell degeneration, thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer, and loss of axonal projections in the optic nerve, among other abnormalities. More recent investigations described Aβ plaques in the retina located within sites of neuronal degeneration and occurring in clusters in the mid- and far-periphery of the superior and inferior quadrants, regions that had been previously overlooked. Diverse structural and/or disease-specific changes were also identified in the retina of PD, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis patients. The pathological relationship between the retina and brain prompted the development of imaging tools designed to noninvasively detect and monitor these signs in living patients. One such tool is optical coherence tomography (OCT), uniquely providing high-resolution two-dimensional cross-sectional imaging and three-dimensional volumetric measurements. As such, OCT emerged as a prominent approach for assessing retinal abnormalities in vivo , and indeed provided multiple parameters that allowed for the distinction between normal aged individuals and patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Beyond the use of retinal optical fundus imaging, which recently allowed for the detection and quantification of amyloid plaques in living AD patients via a wide-field view of the peripheral retina, a major advantage of OCT has been the ability to measure the volumetric changes in specified retinal layers. OCT has proven to be particularly useful in analyzing retinal structural abnormalities consistent with disease pathogenesis. In this review, we provide a summary of OCT findings in the retina of patients with AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Future studies should explore the combination of imaging early hallmark signs together with structural-functional biomarkers in the accessible retina as a practical means of assessing risk, disease progression, and therapeutic efficacy in these patients.
Key findings
- Numerous studies have shown that the retina, a central nervous system tissue formed as a developmental outgrowth of the brain, is profoundly affected by AD.
Why it matters
This review reports that the retina is profoundly affected in Alzheimer's disease, showing amyloid β-protein plaques, ganglion cell degeneration, and thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer. It describes optical coherence tomography as a tool that can noninvasively detect and monitor these retinal signs in living patients, but no treatment or prevention is tested.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Frontiers in Neurology: journal h-index 162 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| 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 | 2017 — 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 176 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.0 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.7× 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 67 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) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29312125) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00701
- PubMed: 29312125
- Original source →
- Free full text: Frontiers in Neurology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Doustar, J., Torbati, T., Black, K. L., Koronyo, Y., & Koronyo-Hamaoui, M. (2017). Optical Coherence Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases. Frontiers in neurology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2017.00701
Vancouver
Doustar J, Torbati T, Black KL, Koronyo Y, Koronyo-Hamaoui M. Optical Coherence Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases. Frontiers in neurology. 2017. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00701. PMID: 29312125.
BibTeX
@article{doustar2017-29312125,
author = {Doustar, J. and Torbati, T. and Black, K. L. and Koronyo, Y. and Koronyo-Hamaoui, M.},
title = {{Optical Coherence Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases}},
journal = {Frontiers in neurology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2017.00701},
pmid = {29312125},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2017.00701}
}
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