Retinal Capillary Perfusion Tied to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Black Patients

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Lower retinal capillary perfusion is associated with cerebral small vessel disease, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Farzan Abdolahi, M.D., from University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues investigated whether retinal capillary perfusion, measured using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), is a biomarker of cerebral small vessel disease and impaired cognition among Black Americans. Analysis included 96 Black Americans without known cognitive impairment.

The researchers found that lower retinal capillary perfusion was correlated with worse Oral Symbol Digit Test and Fluid Cognition Composite scores, but not with the Crystallized Cognition Composite score. There was also a correlation seen between lower retinal perfusion and higher free water and peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity, and lower fractional anisotropy on magnetic resonance imaging.

“As a noninvasive, rapid, easy-to-administer, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved imaging modality, OCTA may be particularly useful for screening underdiagnosed, underserved, high-risk populations such as Black Americans," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to Carl Zeiss Meditec, which developed the OCTA used in the study.

Abstract/Full Text