Decreased Retinal Thickness in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 31(3); 2013 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2013;31(3): 173-177.

알쯔하이머병 환자에서 감소된 망막두께

강봉희, 김재일

단국대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실

Decreased Retinal Thickness in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

Bong-hui Kang

Department of Neurology, Dankook University Medical College, Cheonan, Korea

Abstract

Background: The loss of ganglion cells observed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients might be attributable to a neurodegenerative process involving the neuroretinal structure. The objective of this study was to determine the retinal thickness in patients with AD using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Methods: Neuro-ophthalmologic examinations were performed in eight AD patients and eight age-matched control subjects. The average thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RN리) and the ganglion cell?inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) were measured using spectral-domain OCT in both subject groups, and the results were compared.
Results: The RNFL was thinner in AD patients than in the age-matched controls (p<0.05), especially at the nasal and inferior retina, and the GCIPL was also significantly thinner (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The decreased retinal thickness observed in AD patients suggests that OCT can be used as a biological marker of AD. The findings of this preliminary study suggest that the extent of the reduction in GCIPL and RNFL thicknesses should be investigated further. Key Words: Alzheimer’s disease, Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, Retinal nerve fiber layer, Ganglion cell?inner plexiform layer