How can we detect brain disease through our eyes?

Related Topics: #amyloid #eye scan #retina #tau

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By Peter van Wijngaarden Professor Peter van Wijngaarden is the deputy director of the Centre for Eye Research in Australia (CERA), and is developing More...

" We know from tissue samples that some changes that happen in the brain also occur in the retina. An accumulation of abnormal proteins like amyloid beta and tau and any loss of neural tissue can be seen through imaging technologies. We can then use this imaging to diagnosis diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, this method isn’t specific to Alzheimer’s but in a couple years time we hope to find signals that are specific Alzheimer’s. Using a NASA grade camera we scan the back of the eye to visibly detect plaques at an early stage. "

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