Eye cells could help diagnose Alzheimer's disease

m.bbc.co.uk - Changes to specific cells in the retina could help diagnose and track the progression of Alzheimer's disease, scientists say.

A team found genetically engineered mice with Alzheimer's lost thickness in this layer of eye cells. As the retina is a direct extension of the brain, they say the loss of retinal neurons could be related to the loss of brain cells in Alzheimer's. The findings were revealed at the US Society for Neuroscience conference. The team believes this work could one day lead to opticians being able to detect Alzheimer's in a regular eye check, if they had the right tools.