科研之友
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摘要
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia pathologically characterized by cerebral amyloid-beta (A beta) deposition. Early and accurate diagnosis of the disease still remains a big challenge. There is evidence that A beta aggregation starts to occur years before symptoms arise. Noninvasive monitoring of A beta plaques is critical for both the early diagnosis and prognosis of AD. Presently, there is a major effort on looking for a reasonably priced technology capable of diagnosing AD by detecting the presence of A beta. Studies suggest that AD is systemic rather than brain-limited focus diseases and the aggregation of the disease-causing proteins also takes place in lens except the brain. There is a possible relationship between AD and a specific subtype of age-related cataract (supranuclear cataract). If similar abnormal protein deposits are present in the lens, it would facilitate non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression. However, there are controversies on the issues related to performance and validation of A beta deposition in lens as biomarkers for early detection of AD. Here we review the recent findings concerning A beta deposition in the lenses of AD patients and evaluate if the ocular lens can provide a biomarker for AD.
- 出版日期2014
- 单位郑州大学
