Thomas B Connor
Tanzania
Research Article
Assessing Retinal Structure in Patients with Parkinson Disease
Author(s): Jonathon B Young, Pooja Godara, Vesper Williams, Phyllis Summerfelt, Thomas B Connor, Sergey Tarima, Alexis Visotcky, Robert F Cooper, Karen Blindauer and Joseph CarrollJonathon B Young, Pooja Godara, Vesper Williams, Phyllis Summerfelt, Thomas B Connor, Sergey Tarima, Alexis Visotcky, Robert F Cooper, Karen Blindauer and Joseph Carroll
Objective: The retina is an extension of the central nervous system (CNS), and ocular symptoms can precede manifestations of CNS disorders. Given that several neurodegenerative conditions that affect the brain exhibit ocular symptoms, the retina may be an accessible biomarker to monitor disease progression. Dopamine, the key neurotransmitter related to Parkinson’s disease (PD), is contained in amacrine and interplexiform cells, which reside in specific retinal layers. Understanding how loss of dopaminergic cells affects retinal anatomy could be relevant for monitoring disease progression. Here, our objective is to evaluate retinal structure (foveal pit morphology and thickness) in patients with PD.
Methods: Thirty-three Caucasian subjects diagnosed with PD and 40 age-matched Caucasian control subjects underwent retinal imaging with spe.. View More»
