AUTHOR=Wang Ruilin , Wu Xinmao , Zhang Zengyi , Cao Le , Kwapong William Robert , Wang Hang , Tao Wendan , Ye Chen , Liu Junfeng , Wu Bo 

TITLE=Retinal ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer, white matter hyperintensities, and their interaction with cognition in older adults

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1240815

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2023.1240815

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Purpose</title><p>We explored the interaction of optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters and white matter hyperintensities with cognitive measures in our older adult cohort.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>This observational study enrolled participants who underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, structural 3-T brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), visual acuity examination, and OCT imaging. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) markers were read on MR images; lacune, cerebral microbleeds (CMB), white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS), were defined according to the STRIVE standards. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thicknesses (μm) were measured on the OCT tool.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>Older adults with cognitive impairment (CI) showed lower RNFL (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001), GCIPL (<italic>p</italic> = 0.009) thicknesses, and lower hippocampal volume (<italic>p</italic> = 0.004) when compared to non-cognitively impaired (NCI). RNFL (<italic>p</italic> = 0.006) and GCIPL thicknesses (<italic>p</italic> = 0.032) correlated with MoCA scores. GCIPL thickness (<italic>p</italic> = 0.037), total WMH (<italic>p</italic> = 0.003), PWMH (<italic>p</italic> = 0.041), and DWMH (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001) correlated with hippocampal volume in our older adults after adjusting for covariates. With hippocampal volume as the outcome, a significant interaction (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) between GCIPL and PWMH and total WMH was observed in our older adults.</p></sec><sec id="sec003"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Both GCIPL thinning and higher WMH burden (especially PWMH) are associated with hippocampal volume and older adults with both pathologies are more susceptible to subclinical cognitive decline.</p></sec>