OCTA in neurodegenerative optic neuropathies: emerging biomarkers at the eye–brain interface

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is an emerging technique for non-invasively imaging the ocular vasculature, enabling quantitative measurements of retinal vascular anatomy. As extensions of the central nervous system, the optic nerve and the retina share many vascular characteristics with the brain. Measuring the structural and functional changes within the ocular vasculature may be useful as an objective approach for non-invasively evaluating the cerebrovascular architecture. The current article reviews the most recent applications of OCTA imaging at the eye-brain interface and highlights the emerging vascular biomarkers for neurodegenerative optic neuropathies, as reported in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and mitochondrial optic neuropathies. These ophthalmologic findings offer objective measures of a more accessible clinical marker and may improve our understanding of neurodegenerative disease.