OREANDA-NEWS New Zealand scientists from the University of Otago have found a relationship between the state of the retina and the manifestation of Alzheimer's disease. This discovery may become a new way to diagnose the disease in the early stages. The results of the study are described in the journal "JAMA Ophthalmology".

Experts analyzed cognitive abilities and data on the state of retinal nerve fibers and ganglion cell layer of more than 865 respondents born in the period from 1972 to 1973, who were observed up to 45 years.

The researchers compared the participants' thinking abilities (IQ, information processing speed, perceptual thinking and other criteria) in childhood and in adulthood. Scientists have found that thicker layers of ganglion cells and retinal nerve fibers were associated with the best cognitive performance both at a younger age and in adulthood. Those subjects who had a thinner retina showed a reduced speed of mental function and reaction to the information received, experts determined.

In January 2022, experts from Carnegie Mellon University in the USA explained the difficulty of finding effective treatments for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. The thing is that the model of the formation of the disease turned out to be more complex than previously assumed.