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Retinal fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy measures depend on the severity of Alzheimer's disease
Jentsch S, Schweitzer D, Schmidtke KU, Peters S, Dawczynski J, Bär KJ, Hammer M.. Acta ophthalmologica, 2014-12-07
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Purpose To determine alterations in the retina of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the newly developed technique of fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) in a pilot study. Methods FLIO set-up uses a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (HRA2, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany), which was modified by the use of an excitation pulse laser BLD440 (Becker&Hickl, Berlin, Germany) and detection of fluorescence lifetime by time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC; Becker&Hickl) in two spectral channels (channel 1: 490-560 nm, channel 2: 560-700 nm). Least square fit of three exponential functions was used for fluorescence decay analysis.
Key findings
- Methods FLIO set-up uses a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (HRA2, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany), which was modified by the use of an excitation pulse laser BLD440 (Becker&Hickl, Berlin, Germany) and detection of fluorescence lifetime by time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC; Becker&Hickl) in two spectral channels (channel 1: 490-560 nm, channel 2: 560-700 nm).
- Least square fit of three exponential functions was used for fluorescence decay analysis.
- That resulted in three fluorescent components with lifetimes τi , amplitudes αi and relative contributions Qi . 16 patients with AD (mean age 77.2 ± 7.0 years) were investigated.
- After regular ophthalmic investigation, FLIO examination and OCT examination were performed.
Why it matters
This pilot study used fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy to look for retinal changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease. It is a small observational imaging study and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants16
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Acta ophthalmologica) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Acta Ophthalmologica: journal h-index 127 (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 | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 16 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 97 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.5 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 21 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Martin Hammer: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Friedrich Schiller University Jena: institution h-index 626 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25482990) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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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. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Jentsch, S., Schweitzer, D., Schmidtke, K. U., Peters, S., Dawczynski, J., Bär, K. J., et al. (2015). Retinal fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy measures depend on the severity of Alzheimer's disease. Acta ophthalmologica. https://doi.org/10.1111/aos.12609
Vancouver
Jentsch S, Schweitzer D, Schmidtke KU, Peters S, Dawczynski J, Bär KJ, et al. Retinal fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy measures depend on the severity of Alzheimer's disease. Acta ophthalmologica. 2015. doi:10.1111/aos.12609. PMID: 25482990.
BibTeX
@article{jentsch2015-25482990,
author = {Jentsch, S. and Schweitzer, D. and Schmidtke, K. U. and Peters, S. and Dawczynski, J. and Bär, K. J. and Hammer, M.},
title = {{Retinal fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy measures depend on the severity of Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Acta ophthalmologica},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1111/aos.12609},
pmid = {25482990},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/aos.12609}
}
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