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. 2022 Nov 7:14:993621.
doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.993621. eCollection 2022.

A two-year longitudinal study of retinal vascular impairment in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Criscuolo Chiara  1 , Cennamo Gilda  2 , Montorio Daniela  1 , Carotenuto Antonio  1 , Migliaccio Miriana  1 , Moccia Marcello  1 , Salvatore Elena  1 , Lanzillo Roberta  1 , Costagliola Ciro  1 , Brescia Morra Vincenzo  1
Affiliations

A two-year longitudinal study of retinal vascular impairment in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Criscuolo Chiara et al. Front Aging Neurosci. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relation between retinal vascular impairment and cognitive decline in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) over time.

Methods: Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT angiography study was performed in aMCI patients over 2 years follow-up and compared to baseline.

Results: Thirty-eight eyes from 19 aMCI patients were evaluated. Structural and vascular OCT measures were reduced at follow-up except for vessel density (VD) of the choriocapillaris, unchanged, and foveal avascular zone, which was increased; no changes in any parameter were found in 18 age-matched healthy controls. Overall, these findings were confirmed when patients were evaluated separately according to progression to dementia. Only non-converters to dementia showed significant VD reduction in the deep capillary plexuses (coeff. β = -4.20; p < 0.001), may be for an initial massive VD depletion becoming less evident with progression of the disease. MMSE reduction was associated with a higher ganglion cell complex reduction (coeff. β = 0.10; p = 0.04) and a higher VD reduction in the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) plexus (coeff. β = 0.14; p = 0.02) in the whole patient group, while it was associated with a higher VD reduction only in RPC plexus in converters (coeff. β = 0.21; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our data shows vascular impairment progression in the inner retina of aMCI patients and support the hypothesis that vascular changes may contribute to the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. Other follow-up studies, with a larger number of patients, are needed to better define VD as a potential biomarker.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; OCTA; aMCI; longitudinal study; mini mental state examination.

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Conflict of interest statement

CA has received research grants from Almirall, research grants from ECTRIMS-MAGNIMS and honoraria from Almirall, Biogen, Roche Sanofi-Genzyme and Novartis. MoM has received research grants from ECTRIMS-MAGNIMS, UK MS Society, and Merck; and honoraria from Biogen, Merck, Roche, and Sanofi-Genzyme. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Left eye of a patient affected by MCI (72 years-old male) shows at structural spectral domain- optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) an increased reduction in ganglion cell complex (GCC) (A1) and in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) (B1) respect to baseline (A,B). OCT Angiography images reveals a relevant vessel density reduction for superficial capillary plexus (SCP) (C1), deep capillary plexus (DCP) (D1), and radial peripapillary capillary plexus (RPC) (F1) at year 1 respect to baseline (C,D,F). Vessel density in the choriocapillaris (CC) does not change over the follow-up (E,E1). The Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) area reveals an increased size at follow up (G1) respect to baseline (G).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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