Cerebral and Retinal Neurovascular Changes: A Biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

See, stats, and : https : / / www. researchgate . net / publication / 319648908 Cerebral : A Biomarker ' s Article DOI : 10 . 4172 / 2167 - 7182 . 1000447 CITATIONS 0 READS 46 6 , including : Some : Lutein instruments Tos Maastricht 216 , 266 SEE All . The . Abstract Objectives : Biomarker quest for Alzheimer ' s disease (AD) has gone a long way by studying various anatomical , physiological and biochemical parameters for detecting disease onset and predicting prognosis . Almost all the studies converge on the single hypothesis of the amyloid and Tau pathway . Recently , vascular hypothesis has evolved drawing attention towards a complex dynamic anatomical and physiological entity , neuro - vascular (NV) unit . Pathological changes at this level , altering the normal physiology such as auto - regulation and dynamics of blood brain barrier have been hypothesized as a probable basis for AD . This paper attempts to review the existing data on the vascular hypothesis and the current trends in analyzing the NV unit in AD . Design : This review initially focuses on the cerebral NV coupling followed by the retinal neurovascular coupling that mirrors the cerebral pathophysiology . The pathophysiology and the potential tools to diagnose AD at the level of NV unit are analyzed . Further , it examines the drawbacks in existing methods for analyzing the same . Findings : None of the current studies have emphasized the importance of studying the complex dynamic NV unit as a whole . This review strongly recommends the combination of vascular and neuro - glial parameters using objective methods for estimating the physiological and pathological changes in the NV unit . Discussion and conclusion : This review highlights the importance of retina for non - invasive estimation of the same . Also , novel algorithms for retinal image analysis have been proposed . The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of retinal findings in neurodegenerative disorders and to create awareness among the neuro - ophthalmologists , of the potential benefits of ophthalmological tools in screening dementia patients .