Retinal changes are evident throughout the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, microvascular changes, evidence of inflammation, and other changes in retinal metabolism. Researchers have also found that retinal imaging may detect signs of underlying neurodegenerative disease even before cognitive impairment is present. Other studies show that non-invasive retinal imaging—including, but not limited to, optical coherence tomography—is a potential inexpensive andpatient-friendly tool for screening for signs of AD. To help bring these potential new biomarkers to the forefront of research discussion, the Alzheimer’s Association in collaboration with the editorial team from Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (DADM) convened the “Retinal Imaging and Neurodegenerative Diseases” workshop in May 2019 in Washington, DC. This first-of-its-kind international event brought together 90 researchers from nine countries. The American Optometric Association (AOA) published a report from the workshop in its publication, Primary Care Optometry News.1 Workshop participants discussed multiple imaging modalities and methods, identified areas of data convergence, and explored gaps and potential areas to further advance applicationof these technologies for clinical trials and diagnostic uses. According to co-chairs Peter J. Snyder, PhD, editor-in-chief of DADM and vice president of research and economic development, University of Rhode Island, and Heather Snyder, PhD, vice president of medical science relations at the Alzheimer’s Association, having this workshop is a critical step toward advancing research on retinal changes that may be uniquely amenable to non-invasive ocular imaging. The next step is to advance necessary research to further validate retinal/ocular non-invasive biomarkers. During the day-anda-half meeting, researchers discussed a wide range of subjects including the quantification of amyloid beta and tau structures; advanced use of 3Dmacular scans and blood flowmeasurement; disease-related changes to the structure of retinal neuronal layers, vascular bed changes, and emerging imaging technologies (eg, cross-polarized light imaging, hyperspectral retinal imaging, and fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy); real-world trials of retinal imaging; microglia activation at the preclinical disease stage and imaging of neuroinflammation in the retina; the relationship between sleep disturbances and melanopsin-retinal ganglion cell degeneration; and how best to approach a consensus across research groups with respect to a “standardminimum dataset” to accelerate collaborative efforts. TheAOA’s chief public health officer,MichaelDueñas,OD,who participated in the workshop, said, “One day Alzheimer’s disease could be another significant responsibility for optometry within team-based medical care. Pairing retinal imaging technology and our understanding of early cognitive decline is going to be essential in raising our patients’ health outcomes and preventing or slowing neurodegenerative disease.” A detailedwhite paper of the proceedings of thisworkshop is in process.

中文翻译：

---

由阿尔茨海默氏症协会召集的视网膜成像智囊团，研究其在早期发现阿尔茨海默氏症方面的前景

在阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 的整个进程中，视网膜变化是显而易见的，包括淀粉样斑块和神经原纤维缠结的存在、微血管变化、炎症证据以及视网膜代谢的其他变化。研究人员还发现，即使在出现认知障碍之前，视网膜成像也可以检测到潜在神经退行性疾病的迹象。其他研究表明，非侵入性视网膜成像（包括但不限于光学相干断层扫描）是一种潜在的廉价且对患者友好的 AD 迹象筛查工具。为了帮助将这些潜在的新生物标志物带到研究讨论的前沿，阿尔茨海默氏症协会与《阿尔茨海默氏症和痴呆症：诊断、评估和 疾病监测 (DADM) 于 2019 年 5 月在华盛顿特区召开了“视网膜成像和神经退行性疾病”研讨会。这场史无前例的国际盛会汇集了来自九个国家的 90 名研究人员。美国验光协会 (AOA) 在其出版物《初级保健验光新闻》中发表了研讨会报告。 1 研讨会参与者讨论了多种成像模式和方法，确定了数据融合的领域，并探索了差距和潜在领域，以进一步推进这些技术的应用用于临床试验和诊断用途。罗德岛大学 DADM 主编兼研究与经济发展副总裁 Peter J. Snyder 博士和阿尔茨海默病协会医学科学关系副总裁 Heather Snyder 博士表示，举办这个研讨会是推进视网膜变化研究的关键一步，这可能是非侵入性眼部成像的独特之处。下一步是推进必要的研究，以进一步验证视网膜/眼部非侵入性生物标志物。在一天半的会议中，研究人员讨论了广泛的主题，包括淀粉样蛋白 β 和 tau 结构的量化；高级使用 3D 黄斑扫描和血流测量；与疾病相关的视网膜神经元层结构变化、血管床变化和新兴成像技术（例如，交叉偏振光成像、高光谱视网膜成像和荧光寿命成像检眼镜）；视网膜成像的真实世界试验；临床前疾病阶段的小胶质细胞激活和视网膜神经炎症的成像；睡眠障碍与黑视蛋白-视网膜神经节细胞变性的关系；以及如何最好地在“标准最小数据集”方面达成跨研究小组的共识，以加快协作努力。参加研讨会的 TheAOA 首席公共卫生官 MichaelDueñas 说：“有一天，阿尔茨海默病可能成为团队医疗中验光的另一个重要责任。将视网膜成像技术与我们对早期认知能力下降的理解相结合，对于提高患者的健康结果和预防或减缓神经退行性疾病至关重要。” 本次研讨会议事录的详细白皮书正在制作中。以及如何最好地在“标准最小数据集”方面达成跨研究小组的共识，以加快协作努力。参加研讨会的 TheAOA 首席公共卫生官 MichaelDueñas 说：“有一天，阿尔茨海默病可能成为团队医疗中验光的另一个重要责任。将视网膜成像技术与我们对早期认知能力下降的理解相结合，对于提高患者的健康结果和预防或减缓神经退行性疾病至关重要。” 本次研讨会议事录的详细白皮书正在制作中。以及如何最好地在“标准最小数据集”方面达成跨研究小组的共识，以加快协作努力。参加研讨会的 TheAOA 首席公共卫生官 MichaelDueñas 说：“有一天，阿尔茨海默病可能成为团队医疗中验光的另一个重要责任。将视网膜成像技术与我们对早期认知能力下降的理解相结合，对于提高患者的健康结果和预防或减缓神经退行性疾病至关重要。” 本次研讨会议事录的详细白皮书正在制作中。“有一天，阿尔茨海默病可能成为团队医疗中验光的另一个重要责任。将视网膜成像技术与我们对早期认知能力下降的理解相结合，对于提高患者的健康结果和预防或减缓神经退行性疾病至关重要。” 本次研讨会议事录的详细白皮书正在制作中。“有一天，阿尔茨海默病可能成为团队医疗中验光的另一个重要责任。将视网膜成像技术与我们对早期认知能力下降的理解相结合，对于提高患者的健康结果和预防或减缓神经退行性疾病至关重要。” 本次研讨会议事录的详细白皮书正在制作中。