Barrett-Young Ashleigh, Abraham Wickliffe C, Cheung Carol Y, Gale Jesse, Hogan Sean, Ireland David, Keenan Ross, Knodt Annchen R, Melzer Tracy R, Moffitt Terrie E, Ramrakha Sandhya, Tham Yih Chung, Wilson Graham A, Wong Tien Yin, Hariri Ahmad R, Poulton Richie
Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Eye Brain. 2023 Mar 11;15:25-35. doi: 10.2147/EB.S402510. eCollection 2023.
The retina has potential as a biomarker of brain health and Alzheimer's disease (AD) because it is the only part of the central nervous system which can be easily imaged and has advantages over brain imaging technologies. Few studies have compared retinal and brain measurements in a middle-aged sample. The objective of our study was to investigate whether retinal neuronal measurements were associated with structural brain measurements in a middle-aged population-based cohort.
Participants were members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (n=1037; a longitudinal cohort followed from birth and at ages 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 26, 32, 38, and most recently at age 45, when 94% of the living Study members participated). Retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Brain age gap estimate (brainAGE), cortical surface area, cortical thickness, subcortical grey matter volumes, white matter hyperintensities, were measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Participants with both MRI and OCT data were included in the analysis (RNFL n=828, female n=413 [49.9%], male n=415 [50.1%]; GC-IPL n=825, female n=413 [50.1%], male n=412 [49.9%]). Thinner retinal neuronal layers were associated with older brain age, smaller cortical surface area, thinner average cortex, smaller subcortical grey matter volumes, and increased volume of white matter hyperintensities.
These findings provide evidence that the retinal neuronal layers reflect differences in midlife structural brain integrity consistent with increased risk for later AD, supporting the proposition that the retina may be an early biomarker of brain health.
视网膜具有作为脑健康和阿尔茨海默病（AD）生物标志物的潜力，因为它是中枢神经系统中唯一可以轻松成像的部分，并且比脑成像技术具有优势。很少有研究在中年样本中比较视网膜和脑的测量结果。我们研究的目的是调查在基于人群的中年队列中，视网膜神经元测量是否与脑结构测量相关。
参与者是达尼丁多学科健康与发展研究的成员（n = 1037；这是一个从出生开始跟踪的纵向队列，在3、5、7、9、11、13、15、18、21、26、32、38岁时进行跟踪，最近一次跟踪是在45岁时，当时94%的在世研究成员参与）。通过光学相干断层扫描（OCT）测量视网膜神经纤维层（RNFL）和神经节细胞 - 内网状层（GC - IPL）的厚度。通过磁共振成像（MRI）测量脑年龄差距估计值（brainAGE）、皮质表面积、皮质厚度、皮质下灰质体积、白质高信号。
分析纳入了同时有MRI和OCT数据的参与者（RNFL n = 828，女性n = 413 [49.9%]，男性n = 415 [50.1%]；GC - IPL n = 825，女性n = 413 [50.1%]，男性n = 412 [49.9%]）。较薄的视网膜神经元层与脑年龄较大、皮质表面积较小、平均皮质较薄、皮质下灰质体积较小以及白质高信号体积增加相关。
这些发现提供了证据，表明视网膜神经元层反映了中年脑结构完整性的差异，这与晚年患AD的风险增加一致，支持视网膜可能是脑健康早期生物标志物的观点。
