The eye as a window to the brain - a quest for retinal biomarkers in neurodegenerative disease

Because of a shared ontogenic origin, the retina displays similarities to the brain and spinal cord in terms of anatomy, functionality, response to insult, and immunology. Hence, the retina can be approached as an integral part of the central nervous system. The occurrence of ocular manifestations in several neurodegenerative pathologies, such as Alzheimer's disease disease, accentuates the strong relationship between eye and brain. Particularly retinal changes can present a substrate for cerebral changes in these disorders. Offering a 'window to the brain', the transparent eye enables non-invasive imaging of these changes in retinal structure and vasculature. In this project, the potential of retinal biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease will be explored with the aim to overcome some of the hurdles in the current management of these pathologies, mainly the lack of techniques for patient screening and early diagnosis. Pilot studies will be performed to correlate the retinal biomarkers with neuro-imaging, and cognitive function. Integrating the results will pave the way for the development non-invasive retinal biomarkers for clinical research, screening, and follow-up of disease progression in various neurodegenerative disorders.