"The retina, unlike other structures of the eye, is part of the central
nervous system, sharing many characteristics of the brain. A few years
ago, we discovered at Cedars-Sinai that the plaques associated with
Alzheimer's disease occur not only in the brain but also in the retina.
By 'staining' the plaque with curcumin, a component of the common spice
turmeric, we could detect it in the retina even before it began to
accumulate in the brain. The device we developed enables us to look
through the eye - just as an ophthalmologist looks through the eye to
diagnose retinal disease - and see these changes.
"In preliminary results in 40 patients, the test could differentiate
between Alzheimer's disease and non-Alzheimer's disease with 100 percent
sensitivity and 80.6 percent specificity, meaning that all people with
the disease tested positive and most of the people without the disease
tested negative. The optical imaging exam appears to detect changes that
occur 15-20 years before clinical diagnosis".
nervous system, sharing many characteristics of the brain. A few years
ago, we discovered at Cedars-Sinai that the plaques associated with
Alzheimer's disease occur not only in the brain but also in the retina.
By 'staining' the plaque with curcumin, a component of the common spice
turmeric, we could detect it in the retina even before it began to
accumulate in the brain. The device we developed enables us to look
through the eye - just as an ophthalmologist looks through the eye to
diagnose retinal disease - and see these changes.
"In preliminary results in 40 patients, the test could differentiate
between Alzheimer's disease and non-Alzheimer's disease with 100 percent
sensitivity and 80.6 percent specificity, meaning that all people with
the disease tested positive and most of the people without the disease
tested negative. The optical imaging exam appears to detect changes that
occur 15-20 years before clinical diagnosis".
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