Persistent and Progressive Outer Retina Thinning in Frontotemporal Degeneration.
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ABSTRACT: Objective:While Alzheimer's disease is associated with inner retina thinning measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), our previous cross-sectional study suggested outer retina thinning in frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) patients compared to controls without neurodegenerative disease; we sought to evaluate longitudinal changes of this potential biomarker. Methods:SD-OCT retinal layer thicknesses were measured at baseline and after 1-2 years. Clinical criteria, genetic analysis, and a cerebrospinal fluid biomarker (total tau: ?-amyloid) to exclude likely underlying Alzheimer's disease pathology were used to define a subgroup of predicted molecular pathology (i.e., tauopathy). Retinal layer thicknesses and rates of change in all FTD patients (n = 16 patients, 30 eyes) and the tauopathy subgroup (n = 9 patients,16 eyes) were compared to controls (n = 30 controls, 47 eyes) using a generalized linear model accounting for inter-eye correlation and adjusting for age, sex, and race. Correlations between retinal layer thicknesses and Mini-Mental State Examinations (MMSE) were assessed. Results:Compared to controls, returning FTD patients (143 vs. 130 ?m, p = 0.005) and the tauopathy subgroup (143 vs. 128 ?m, p = 0.03) had thinner outer retinas but similar inner layer thicknesses. Compared to controls, the outer retina thinning rate was not significant for all FTD patients (p = 0.34), but was significant for the tauopathy subgroup (-3.9 vs. 0.4 ?m/year, p = 0.03). Outer retina thickness change correlated with MMSE change in FTD patients (Spearman rho = 0.60, p = 0.02) and the tauopathy subgroup (rho = 0.73, p = 0.04). Conclusion:Our finding of FTD outer retina thinning persists and longitudinally correlates with disease progression. These findings were especially seen in probable tauopathy patients, which showed progressive outer retina thinning.
SUBMITTER: Kim BJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6459211 | biostudies-literature | 2019
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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