pISSN 1226-6329 / eISSN 2733-4600
대한노인정신의학회 (29권2호 37-46)
Association Between Retinal Layer Thickness and Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities in Older Adults
노인에서 망막층 두께와 뇌 백질 고강도 신호의 연관성 연구
Hak Hyeon Kim, MD, Min Jeong Kwon, PhD, Jieun Park, BS, Jun Sung Kim, PhD, Jae Hyoung Kim, MD, PhD, Se Joon Woo, MD, PhD, Ki Woong Kim, MD, PhD, Hyeong Min Kim, MD, MSc, and Ji Won Han, MD, PhD
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Departments of Radiology and Ophthalmology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Department of Health Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Department of Ophthalmology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Objective: Retinal and cerebral small vessel changes may share common mechanisms in aging and neurodegeneration. We investigated the associations between macular retinal layer thickness and cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in older adults.
Methods: We included 166 community-dwelling participants (mean age 75.2 years) from two population-based aging cohorts who underwent both spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and brain MRI. Retinal thickness was measured across six retinal layers in the macular region, the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layers, and the subfoveal choroid. WMH volumes were classified into juxtaventricular (JVWMH), periventricular (PVWMH), and deep (DWMH) regions. Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, and diabetes were used to assess associations.
Results: Outer macular ganglion cell layer (GCL) and inner plexiform layer (IPL) thicknesses were negatively associated with total WMH, PVWMH, and DWMH volumes. In contrast, foveal inner nuclear layer (INL) thickness showed a positive association with WMH burden. JVWMH volumes showed no significant association with most retinal layers.
Conclusion: Outer GCL and IPL thickness was associated with lesser cerebral WMH volumes, while foveal INL thicknening suggests a distinct pathological process. These findings support potential retina-brain structural correlations and regional pathophysiological heterogeneity of cerebral white matter lesions
Retina; Leukoaraiosis; Optical coherence tomography; Cerebral small vessel disease; Neurodegenerative diseases.
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