Yasmina Kattou 09:54, March 30, 2023
Research to detect Alzheimer's disease is advancing. American researchers have found a way to detect the disease prematurely through the eyes of patients, as revealed by a study published in the scientific journal "Acta Neuropathologica".The eyes are the gateway to the brain through the retina. Scientists can observe the nervous system there. Thus, markers of Alzheimer's disease are visible during an examination of the retina, as revealed by the scientific journal Acta Neuropathologica.
Dr. Maïté Challe is Scientific Director of the Vaincre Alzheimer's Foundation. "In the brains of Alzheimer's patients, we have this accumulation of the toxic protein amyloid beta (APP)," she explains to Europe 1. "These researchers make it possible to make a link between the accumulation of the toxic protein in the retina, which could reflect the state of Alzheimer's disease and the state of accumulation of this same protein in the brain."
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Soon a retinal examination?
Changes in the retina are related to alterations in certain parts of the brain, such as the one responsible for the perception of time. Ultimately, this discovery could allow a retinal examination to be performed, a bit like a blood test in patients who show signs of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.