Moore Francesca, Phillips Stephen, Rubenstein Dane, Cullinan Caleigh, Young Christina, Feola Andrew J, Ou Xiaxian, Cui Xiangqin, Patel Risha, Rhee Mary, Hendrick Andrew, Pardue Machelle T
VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta VA Healthcare System, Decatur, Georgia, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2025 Sep 2;14(9):5. doi: 10.1167/tvst.14.9.5.
This study investigated the long-term progression of oscillatory potential (OP) implicit times (ITs) in individuals with preclinical diabetic retinopathy (DR) with and without levodopa (L-DOPA) treatment by quantifying functional and structural retinal changes.
Participants from the Motz et al. (2020) study were re-evaluated after 5 years, including individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) who received L-DOPA treatment for 2 weeks (the DM + L-DOPA group; n = 14), those who did not (the DM group; n = 6), and non-diabetic healthy controls (the control group; n = 37). Retinal function and structure were assessed using dim-flash electroretinography (ERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT).
After 5 years, OP 1 and OP 2 ITs showed no significant differences among the groups (P > 0.05). The DM + L-DOPA OP IT values remained improved compared to baseline. The outer region thickness of the outer plexus layer (OPL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) were significantly thinner in the DM + L-DOPA group compared to the DM group (P < 0.05). The DM group showed strong correlations between OP IT and OCT thickness across all retinal regions, whereas the DM + L-DOPA group correlations were similar to the control group.
Short-term L-DOPA treatment led to significant functional improvements after 2 weeks, with trends suggesting sustained benefit over 5 years. Inner retinal structural differences suggest potential long-term benefit of L-DOPA on retinal health. These findings support OP IT delays as early biomarkers for preclinical DR and suggest L-DOPA may provide lasting neuroprotective benefits.
Retinal dysfunction and inner retinal structural changes could be potential biomarkers for preclinical DR, and L-DOPA treatment may provide sustained benefits for the diabetic retina.
本研究通过量化视网膜功能和结构变化，调查了左旋多巴（L-DOPA）治疗与未治疗的临床前期糖尿病视网膜病变（DR）患者振荡电位（OP）隐时（ITs）的长期进展情况。
对Motz等人（2020年）研究中的参与者在5年后进行重新评估，包括接受L-DOPA治疗2周的糖尿病（DM）患者（DM + L-DOPA组；n = 14）、未接受治疗的患者（DM组；n = 6）以及非糖尿病健康对照者（对照组；n = 37）。使用暗闪光视网膜电图（ERG）和光学相干断层扫描（OCT）评估视网膜功能和结构。
5年后，各组间OP 1和OP 2 ITs无显著差异（P > 0.05）。与基线相比，DM + L-DOPA组的OP IT值仍有所改善。与DM组相比，DM + L-DOPA组的外丛状层（OPL）和神经节细胞层（GCL）的外层区域厚度显著变薄（P < 0.05）。DM组在所有视网膜区域的OP IT与OCT厚度之间显示出强相关性，而DM + L-DOPA组的相关性与对照组相似。
短期L-DOPA治疗在2周后导致了显著的功能改善，且有趋势表明在5年中持续受益。视网膜内层结构差异表明L-DOPA对视网膜健康可能具有长期益处。这些发现支持将OP IT延迟作为临床前期DR的早期生物标志物，并表明L-DOPA可能提供持久的神经保护益处。
视网膜功能障碍和视网膜内层结构变化可能是临床前期DR的潜在生物标志物，L-DOPA治疗可能为糖尿病视网膜提供持续益处。
