Retina-Brain Nexus: Alzheimer’s Pathogenesis and Diagnostic Approaches

Previous research has shown cellular changes and accumulations of amyloid aggregates in the retina of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), potentially explaining visual impairments in this patient group.

However, research in this area is still early, necessitating deeper insights into retinal pathology in AD and distinguishing brain-related pathological events. Our study aims to achieve two main objectives.

Firstly, we will determine the impact of AD-specific pathological events on retinal cytoarchitecture and Blood-Retina Barrier integrity through immunostaining techniques and analysis of the AD retina proteome.

We will also investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting AD pathology in the retina by evaluating the effects of Lecanemab, an anti-amyloid immune therapy, on retinal changes in transgenic AD mice.

Secondly, we will explore the diagnostic value of retina examination by identifying proteins simultaneously altered in the retina, hippocampus, and plasma of AD using proteomics.

We will also assess the utility of fluorescent ligands in monitoring the accumulation of aggregated proteins in the retina of AD transgenic mouse models.

By elucidating the relationship between retinal alterations and AD progression, we hope to contribute to the development of novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions.

The study will be performed at Cognitive Disorder research Unit (LU) together with national and international collaborators, and is estimated to take 5-years.