New Eye Scan Detects Key Signs Of Alzheimer's

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – A new, noninvasive eye scan could detect key signs of Alzheimer's disease years before patients experience symptoms, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center researchers announced. Alzheimer's disease affects the retina (the back of the eye) similarly to the way it affects the brain, so the high-definition eye scan is able to reveal crucial warning signs of the disease: a buildup of toxic proteins called amyloid-beta deposits, according to the study published in JCI Insight.

The findings represent a major advancement toward identifying people at high risk for the debilitating condition years sooner, Cedars investigators said. The study comes amid a sharp rise in the number of people affected by the disease. More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and that number is expected to triple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Related: In a candid collection of stories, three Patch editors share personal anecdotes of family members with Alzheimer's disease.

"The findings suggest that the retina may serve as a reliable source for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis," said the study's senior lead author, Dr. Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, a principal investigator and associate professor in the hospital's departments of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Sciences.

"One of the major advantages of analyzing the retina is the repeatability, which allows us to monitor patients and potentially the progression of their disease," she said.

Recently, another Alzheimer's disease-related study done by the University of Southern California found that a diet high in cholesterol, fat and sugar may influence the development of Alzheimer's disease in people who carry the ApoE4 gene, a leading risk factor for the memory-erasing malady.

Last year, University of Southern California conducted another study that found that the incidence and cost of Alzheimer's disease on U.S. Latinos will grow exponentially by 2060. According to the report, U.S. Latinos living with Alzheimer's disease are projected to increase from 379,000 in 2012 to 1.1 million by 2030 and to 3.5 million by 2060 — a growth of 832 percent.

Unfortunately, people suffering from Alzheimer's have frequently gone missing:

• In El Cerrito, Woman With Alzheimer's Missing Since Sunday Has Been Found
• In San Rafael, Missing Woman With Alzheimer's Disease Found Safe, San Rafael Police Say
• In Oceanside, Man With Alzheimer's Found In Oceanside
• In Berkeley, Missing Woman With Alzheimer's Found Safe
• In Manhattan Beach, Police Renewing Call to Help Find Missing Manhattan Beach Woman with Alzheimer's

There have also been art exhibits and fundraisers to raise money for researching Alzheimer's disease.

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock