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  • PRS + Retinal OCT Predict Cognitive Performance

    By Lynda Seminara
    Selected by Prem S. Subramanian, MD, PhD
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    Journal Highlights

    British Journal of Ophthalmology
    Published online March 28, 2023

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    Can the combination of retinal OCT findings and polygenic risk scores (PRS) improve the ability to predict cognitive decline? This question was the subject of research by Sekimitsu et al. The investigators examined OCT images for more than 50,000 people and found a significant link between retinal measurements and the genetic risk of neurodegenerative disease.

    OCT images used in this study were obtained from U.K. Biobank participants and were tested for possible links between retinal layer thickness and the genetic risk for neurodegenerative disease. These metrics were combined with PRS of patients with Alzheimer or Parkinson disease to predict baseline cognitive status and future cognitive deterioration. Multivariate Cox proportional-hazard models were used to predict cognitive performance. Probability values for thickness analyses were adjusted for the false discovery rate.

    The analysis showed that higher Alzheimer disease PRS were associated with increased thickness of the inner nuclear layer (INL), the chorioscleral interface (CSI), and the inner plexiform layer (IPL) (all p < .05). Higher Parkinson disease PRS corresponded to a thinner outer plexiform layer (p < .001). Poor baseline cognitive performance coincided with a thin retinal nerve fiber layer (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.038, p < .001), thin photo- receptor segment (aOR = 1.035, p < .001), and thin ganglion cell complex (aOR = 1.007, p = .004), as well as a thick ganglion cell layer (aOR = .981, p = .009), thick IPL (aOR = .976, p = .003), thick INL (aOR = .923, p < .001), and thick CSI (aOR = .998, p < .001). Future cognitive decline was linked to a thicker IPL (aOR = .945, p = .045) and CSI (aOR = .996, p = .014).

    Given these findings, the authors believe that OCT data could serve as biomarkers of cognitive decline. To their knowledge, this is the first study of the OCT/PRS combo approach to cognitive evaluation. The findings “may help to inform future research, risk assessment, diagnostic, and disease surveillance strategies,” said the authors.

    The original article can be found here.