2023-05-13 14:00:00
This thin membrane that lines the back of the eye is the only human tissue that allows direct and non-invasive visualization of the central nervous system. Innovative optical devices combined with artificial intelligence now offer the possibility of detecting neurological conditions or predicting the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
This article is taken from the monthly Sciences et Avenir – La Recherche n°915, dated May 2023.
To be able to detect simply by a painless examination of the retina conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, or even the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease, often several years before the disease sets in. A science fiction scenario? No way. The retina, this very thin membrane, is the only human tissue that allows direct and non-invasive visualization of the central nervous system.
“The retina, window on the brain”
An asset that makes it a real window open on the brain. “Retina, window on the brain “(“The retina, window on the brain”) headlined the scientific journal at the end of 2021 Cell. This is because the retina shares the same embryological origin with the brain. Clearly, they come from the same cells. Better, they remain in permanent link, by the optic nerve. Therefore, going to observe in detail and as closely as possible the structure of the retina (its cells, its thickness, its vascularization, etc.), but also its function (its ability to react to light), is a major challenge. Yes, the retina might in the future be the perfect watchdog of our state of health.
As proof, numerous ongoing research works, all of which bear witness to enormous potential, not only as “mirror of the soul “, according to the consecrated expression, but also of the body. Not a day goes by without works appearing on the subject. In a study published in mid-March in the journal Acta neuropathologica, American researchers involved for a long time in this still in its infancy have thus produced the most in-depth analysis to date of retinal changes – deposits of amyloid protein in cells connected to the optic nerve – in Alzheimer’s patients. Work to be compared to that of a Quebec start-up which plans[…]
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