Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39369929›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of ophthalmology2025

Outer Retinal Thinning is Associated With Brain Atrophy in Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Yu Jiang, Thomas Swain, Nayoon Gim, Marian Blazes, Christine Mac Donald, Ariel Rokem, Julia P Owen, Niranjan Balu, Mark E Clark, Lukas Goerdt and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of ophthalmology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Yu JiangFrom the Department of Ophthalmology (Y.J., N.G., M.B., J.P.O., and C.S.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Thomas SwainDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.S., M.E.C., L.G., G.M., C.A.C., and C.O.), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Department of Epidemiology (T.S. and G.M.), School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Nayoon GimFrom the Department of Ophthalmology (Y.J., N.G., M.B., J.P.O., and C.S.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; Department of Bioengineering (N.G.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Marian BlazesFrom the Department of Ophthalmology (Y.J., N.G., M.B., J.P.O., and C.S.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Christine Mac DonaldDepartment of Neurological Surgery (C.M.D. and D.H.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Ariel RokemDepartment of Psychology and eScience Institute (A.R.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Julia P OwenFrom the Department of Ophthalmology (Y.J., N.G., M.B., J.P.O., and C.S.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Niranjan BaluDepartment of Radiology (N.B., S.R.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Mark E ClarkDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.S., M.E.C., L.G., G.M., C.A.C., and C.O.), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Lukas GoerdtDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.S., M.E.C., L.G., G.M., C.A.C., and C.O.), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Department of Ophthalmology (L.G.), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Gerald McGwinDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.S., M.E.C., L.G., G.M., C.A.C., and C.O.), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Department of Epidemiology (T.S. and G.M.), School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
David HuntDepartment of Neurological Surgery (C.M.D. and D.H.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Christine A CurcioDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.S., M.E.C., L.G., G.M., C.A.C., and C.O.), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Swati Rane LevendovszkyDepartment of Radiology (N.B., S.R.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Emily H TrittschuhDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (E.H.T.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; GRECC (E.H.T.), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Cynthia OwsleyDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (T.S., M.E.C., L.G., G.M., C.A.C., and C.O.), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Cecilia S LeeFrom the Department of Ophthalmology (Y.J., N.G., M.B., J.P.O., and C.S.L.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; The Roger and Angie Karalis Johnson Retina Center (C.S.L.), Seattle, Washington, USA. Electronic address: leecs2@uw.edu.

Funding

Aging eyes and aging brains in studying alzheimer's disease: Modern ophthalmic data collection in the adult changes in thought (ACT) studyR01AG060942 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Cecilia Sungmin Lee · 2019 to 2026
$39.4M
Bridge2AI:Salutogenesis Data Generation ProjectOT2OD032644 · OD · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI BAXTER, SALLY LIU, CHUTE, CHRISTOPHER G · 2022 to 2025
$32.7M
Visual Phenotyping CoreP30EY003039 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI Paul Douglas Gamlin · 1985 to 2026
$16.9M
Functionally Validated Structural Endpoints for Early AMDR01EY029595 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI CURCIO, CHRISTINE A, OWSLEY, CYNTHIA · 2019 to 2023
$4.1M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY003039NEI NIH HHS R01 EY029595NIA NIH HHS R01 AG060942NIH HHS OT2 OD032644
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeBoth retinal changes and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have been shown to be associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). In AMD, the outer retina is impacted significantly and early, but little is known about its association with cognition or changes in brain morphometry. This study investigates the relationship between retinal and brain morphometry in older adults with early and intermediate AMD.

designCross-sectional study.

methodsAdults ≥70 years with normal, early, and intermediate AMD were recruited from Callahan Eye Hospital Clinics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Participants underwent cognitive testing, optical coherence tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Associations of retinal layer thickness with brain volume and thickness of specific brain regions were evaluated utilizing multivariable linear regression. The relevance of retinal thickness variables in brain volumetrics was quantified using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression models. Correlations between demographic variables, cognitive scores, and brain morphometry were evaluated.

resultsParticipants with thinner outer retina had significantly smaller hippocampus (β = 0.019, P = .022), lower occipital cortex regions of interest (occipital ROIs) thickness (β = 5.68, P = .020), and lower cortical thickness in ADRD-related brain regions (β = 7.72, P = .006). People with thinner total retina had significantly lower occipital ROIs (β = 3.19, P = .009) and ADRD-related brain region (β = 3.94, P = .005) thickness. Outer retinal thickness in the outer Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study ring was the most frequently reported retinal variable associated with brain morphometry on least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. Total gray matter volume showed positive correlations with education (Pearson's r = 0.30, P = .022).

conclusionsIn older adults with normal retinal aging and early and intermediate AMD, thinner outer retina had specific associations with brain regions primarily involved in vision and cognition, such as lower hippocampal volume and lower thickness of the occipital ROIs and brain regions known to show early structural changes in dementia.

Indexed as

AtrophyMagnetic Resonance ImagingTomography, Optical CoherenceAgedAged, 80 and overBrainCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMacular DegenerationMaleRetina

Identifiers

PMID39369929
PMCPMC11634662

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.