Correlating retinal and choroidal vascular parameters with volumetric MRI in Alzheimer’s disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Background

We assess the relationships between retinal and choroidal structural and microvascular parameters and brain volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Methods

Participants underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) imaging using the Zeiss Cirrus HD-5000 AngioPlex (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) and volumetric brain MRI imaging with NeuroQuant (CorTechs Labs, San Diego, CA) analysis. Retinal and choroidal structural and microvascular parameters were extracted from OCT and OCTA scans. Superficial capillary plexus perfusion density and vessel density in the 3 × 3 mm and 6 × 6 mm circles and rings centered on the fovea were determined. Hippocampal, superior lateral ventricle (SLV), and inferior lateral ventricle (ILV) volumes were determined. Correlations between OCT, OCTA, and volumetric MRI parameters in patients with aMCI and AD were explored using Spearman partial correlation analysis.

Results

68 eyes of 37 aMCI participants and 64 eyes of 33 AD participants were analyzed. In the eyes with aMCI, hippocampal volume negatively correlated with FAZ area and positively correlated with perfusion density and vessel density in the 3 mm OCTA scan. In the aMCI cohort, SLV and ILV volume inversely correlated with perfusion density in the 3 mm and 6 mm OCTA scans, respectively. In the eyes with AD, SLV and ILV volume inversely correlated with perfusion density and vessel density in the 3 mm and 6 mm OCTA scans. Central subfield thickness, ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness, RNFL thickness, and choroidal vascularity index did not significantly correlate with SLV, ILV, or hippocampal volume in any cohorts (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Decline in retinal microvascular parameters significantly correlated with hippocampal volume loss and ventricular expansion, suggesting that these parameters may mirror cerebral neurodegeneration in individuals with aMCI and AD.

Trial registration

Clinical trial identifier: NCT03233646, registration date: July 20, 2017.