Eye changes may indicate neurodegenerative condition 

A simple eye examination and retinal imaging test may help improve diagnosis of a progressive neurodegenerative condition called frontotemporal degeneration (FTD).

Read also:A low-carb diet may be key to long life

Neurodegenerative diseases:

• Neurodegenerative diseases in general are challenging to diagnose.
• And often are confirmed only by direct examination of brain tissue at autopsy.
• In a study the scientists found that patients with FTD showed thinning of the outer retina.
• In addition, the layers with the photoreceptors through which we see – compared to control participants.
• The retina is potentially affected by neurodegenerative disorders because it is a projection of the brain.
• Prior studies have suggested that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
• May also have thinning of the retina – although a different part of the retina.
• Thus, imaging the retina may help doctors confirm or rule out frontotemporal degeneration.

Read also:Healthy lifestyle key to smarter brain in old age: Study

According to Researchers:

Read also:Paying attention to ringing phone while driving may be risky

• Our finding of outer retina thinning in this carefully designed.
• Study suggests that specific brain pathologies may mirrored by specific retinal abnormalities.
• The study included a small group of FTD patients and another control group who did not have any neurodegenerative disease.
• The FTD patients were carefully characterised with clinical examinations, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers to exclude Alzheimer’s Disease, and genetic testing.
• The researchers then employed an eye-imaging technology called spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
• In addition,which uses a safe light beam to image tissue with micron-level resolution. SD-OCT imaging is inexpensive, non-invasive, and quick.
• Measurements of the retinal layers of the participants.
• In addition,after adjustments for age, gender, and ethnic background.
• Showed that the outer retinas of the FTD patients were thinner than those in the control participants.
• This relative thinning of outer retinas was caused by a thinning of two specific portions of the outer retina, the outer nuclear layer (ONL) and ellipsoid zone (EZ).
• The outer nuclear layer of FTD patients was about 10 per cent thinner than controls.
• And this ONL thinning was the primary source of the outer retina thinning, the study added.