Can Retinal Thickness Predict Cognitive Decline in Parkinson Disease?

In a small study, two measures of retinal thickness showed greater thinning rates and correlations with cognitive decline in patients with PD than in controls.

Increasing interest has focused on the development of biomarkers capable of tracking Parkinson disease (PD) progression over time. In this study, investigators examined changes over a 3-year period in retinal thickness using spectralis retinal optical coherence tomography and in scores derived from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. There were 42 patients with PD, 4 with dementia with Lewy bodies, 4 with E46K-SNCA alpha synuclein gene mutations, and 17 healthy controls. The investigators used linear mixed models to estimate the changes in thickness of the macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer complex (GCIPL) and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL).

GCIPL thickness …

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)