Retinal amyloid pathology and proof-of-concept imaging trial in Alzheimer’s disease

AI Generated Summary*

Postmortem retinas and brains from 23 neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease (AD) donors and 14 matched controls were examined histologically, alongside a small proof-of-concept imaging trial in 16 living subjects. Retinal Ab42 immunoreactive plaque area was 4.7-fold higher in AD cases (P = 0.0063), with significant neuronal loss. Within an eight-subject subset, retinal plaque burden tracked cerebral plaques, especially in entorhinal and primary visual cortex, where Pearson r ranged from 0.84 to 0.91. Deposits clustered in the peripheral superior quadrant and innermost layers, often near vasculature, and electron microscopy showed protofibrils and fibrils. Feasibility was shown for imaging deposits after oral solid-lipid curcumin with a modified scanning laser ophthalmoscope, with amyloid index scores 2.1-fold higher in AD (P = 0.0031).

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