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Corradetti G, Oncel D, Kadomoto S, Arakaki X, Kloner RA, Sadun AA, Sadda SR, Chan JW. Choriocapillaris and Retinal Vascular Alterations in Presymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:47. [PMID: 38294804 PMCID: PMC10839815 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.1.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose To compare optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) retina metrics between cognitively healthy subjects with pathological versus normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42/tau ratios. Methods Swept-source OCTA scans were collected using the Zeiss PLEX Elite 9000 and analyzed on 23 cognitively healthy (CH) subjects who had previously undergone CSF analysis. Thirteen subjects had a pathological Aβ42/tau (PAT) ratio of <2.7132, indicative of presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 10 had a normal Aβ42/tau (NAT) ratio of ≥2.7132. OCTA en face images of the superficial vascular complex (SVC) and deep vascular complex were binarized and skeletonized to quantify the perfusion density (PD), vessel length density (VLD), and fractal dimension (FrD). The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area was calculated using the SVC slab. Choriocapillaris flow deficits (CCFDs) were computed from the en face OCTA slab of the CC. The above parameters were compared between CH-PATs and CH-NATs. Results Compared to CH-NATs, CH-PATs showed significantly decreased PD, VLD, and FrD in the SVC, with a significantly increased FAZ area and CCFDs. Conclusions Swept-source OCTA analysis of the SVC and CC suggests a significant vascular loss at the CH stage of pre-AD that might be an indicator of a neurodegenerative process initiated by the impaired clearance of Aβ42 in the blood vessel wall and by phosphorylated tau accumulation in the perivascular spaces, a process that most likely mirrors that in the brain. If confirmed in larger longitudinal studies, OCTA retinal and inner choroidal metrics may be important biomarkers for assessing presymptomatic AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Corradetti
- Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Deniz Oncel
- Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California, United States
| | - Shin Kadomoto
- Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California, United States
| | - Xianghong Arakaki
- Cognition and Brain Integration Laboratory, Department of Neurosciences, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, California, United States
| | - Robert A. Kloner
- Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurosciences, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, California, United States
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, California, United States
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Alfredo A. Sadun
- Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - SriniVas R. Sadda
- Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Jane W. Chan
- Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
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