The eye shows promise as a way to help diagnose Alzheimer's
(noninvasive scan)
Please Help Support Alzheimer's Research Today!
Your Alzheimer's donation will help billions live without it.
DONATE NOW
Shaun Frost, a scientist at the Australian e-Health Research Center, found that blood vessel changes in the light-sensitive tissue of the retina reflect an accumulation of amyloid plaque in the brain, thought to be an early sign of Alzheimer's. "We're seeing signs of the plaque burden increasing in the brain a long time before we see the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease," Frost said during a presentation at the 2011 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Paris last month.
Frost measured the size of the retinal arteries and veins, then calculated a ratio between the two. He found that in people with Alzheimer's disease, the veins get smaller and the arteries appear to get bigger, proportionately.
"The artery-to-vein ratio in the retina was higher in Alzheimer's disease," Frost told the conference. And, he said, "if we look specifically at just the veins, we see a thinning of those in Alzheimer's disease.". Continue to read: aarp.org
Omega-3 may boost heart benefits of tomato antioxidants