Macular Thickness Measurements with Frequency Domain-OCT for Quantification of Retinal Neural Loss and its Correlation with Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer%26apos;s Disease

作者：Cunha Leonardo Provetti; Lopes Luciana Cheker; Ferreira Costa Cunha Luciana Virgnia; Costa Carolina Ferreira; Pires Leopoldo Antonio; Maciel Almeida Ana Laura; Ribeiro Monteiro Myrio Luiz

来源：PLos One, 2016, 11(4): e0153830.

DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0153830

Purpose
To evaluate the ability of frequency domain optical coherence tomography (fd-OCT) to estimate retinal neural loss in eyes with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We also verified the existence of a correlation between AD-related cognitive impairment and macular and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements.
Methods
fd-OCT scans were obtained from 45 eyes of 24 patients with AD and 48 control eyes. Peripapillary RNFL, macular full-thickness and segmented inner macular thickness parameters were calculated. The inner macular parameters included macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) thickness, ganglion cell layer (GCL) plus inner plexiform layer thickness (GCL+), and RNFL plus GCL+ thickness (GCL++). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognition in all subjects. The two groups were compared and the relationship between MMSE scores and fd-OCT measurements was verified.
Results
Average, superior and inferior quadrant RNFL thickness parameters and all but one of the nine full-thickness macular measurements were significantly reduced in AD patients compared to controls. The segmented layers, GCL+ and GCL++ were significantly reduced in AD eyes. A significant correlation was found between most fd-OCT parameters (especially macular thickness measurements) and MMSE scores.
Conclusions
Most fd-OCT peripapillary RNFL and macular full-thickness and segmented inner retinal layers parameters were reduced in AD eyes compared to controls. Moreover, neuronal loss, especially as reflected in macular parameters, correlated well with cognitive impairment in AD. Our results suggest that fd-OCT could be a potentially useful diagnostic tool in the evaluation and follow-up of AD patients.

• 出版日期2016-4-22