A new study finds that a routine examination of the retina can pick up early signs of Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, USA, conducted a study on the human eyes and brain tissue of 86 deceased people who were diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive impairment before their death.Fox News“.
In their study, published last month in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, researchers compared samples of people with normal cognitive function with those who had early-stage symptoms and those with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers found that the retinas of patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease contained an excess amount of amyloid beta 42, a protein that forms the “plaque” that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition, the retina contains cells called microglia, which are also linked to disease progression.
Alzheimer’s disease is usually diagnosed through MRI scans and a range of other tests.
according to “Mayo ClinicAlzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that leads to brain shrinkage (atrophy) and death of its cells, as it is the most common cause of dementia. .
There is no cure to cure Alzheimer’s disease or stop the changes it causes in the brain. In advanced stages of the disease, complications from serious deterioration in brain function, such as dehydration, malnutrition or infection, can lead to death.
Last January, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug to slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients.
