The Caring Corner®

Keeping an Eye on Alzheimer’s

October 20, 2017

It has long been the case that the only diagnosis for Alzheimer’s was via autopsy. Then, researchers found that they could do PET scans and draw cerebrospinal fluid to check for Alzheimer’s biomarkers. Both of these, however, are expensive and invasive. They are not practical methods to evaluate our risk for Alzheimer’s.

Now, scientists have discovered that an eye exam may indicate one’s propensity for the disease. The test is much less invasive and can provide information many years earlier than would otherwise be the case. A team of researchers at Cedars Sinai Medical Center Department of Neurosurgery found that beta-amyloid plaques–the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease in your brain– also appear in retinal scans.

They gave participants curcumin, the bright yellow ingredient in turmeric. It attaches to beta-amyloid plaques and crosses the retinal barrier.  The team found that the plaques were visible in the retinas of study participants, and that the amount of plaque seen in the eye correlated with the level of plaque found in the brain using a PET scan.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. Scientists don’t know for sure that the presence of these plaques guarantee the presence of the disease, but there is a strong correlation between the two. If you were found to have a significant number of plaques, many lifestyle factors could help you manage further development of the disease. Things like exercise and diet are two major factors.

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