Pupillometry evaluation of melanopsin retinal ganglion cell function and sleep-wake activity in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs), intrinsically photosensitive RGCs, mediate the light-based pupil response and the light entrainment of the body's circadian rhythms through their connection to the pretectal nucleus and hypothalamus, respectively. Increased awareness of circadian rhythm dysfunction in neurological conditions including Alzheimer's disease (AD), has led to a wave of research focusing on the role of mRGCs in these diseases. Postmortem retinal analyses in AD patients demonstrated a significant loss of mRGCs, and in vivo measurements of mRGC function with chromatic pupillometry may be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis and progression of AD. METHODS:We performed a prospective case-control study in 20 cognitively healthy study participants:

SUBMITTER: Oh AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6903762 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature