The retina is considered as an extension of the central nervous system, offering a unique and accessible “window” to access the neural tissues and vasculature of the brain in vivo. Pathophysiological changes in the retina may reflect what is happening in the brain. Thus, the study of the retinal anatomy and functional changes in cerebrovascular diseases can provide unique insights into disease mechanisms and potential treatment targets. Recent advances in high-quality non-invasive in vivo retinal imaging methods, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography (OCTA), allow more precise assessment of vascular structure and blood flow function of the retina. The innovative optical imaging instruments and techniques, as well as advances in artificial intelligence methods, hold great promise for the development of retinal image-based biomarkers that can provide a better means for the diagnosis and prognosis of cerebrovascular disease.

Challenges remain, however, as the mechanisms of retinal changes in cerebrovascular diseases are still poorly understood. While a number of studies have suggested various retinal parameters were associated with cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, and carotid artery disease, the results to date are not very consistent. More data are required to establish disease-specific retinal biomarkers during cerebrovascular disease progression in the era of rapid advances in optical imaging and intelligent technology.

This Research Topic mainly focuses on the advance and application of innovative retinal imaging techniques toward understanding the retina during cerebrovascular disease progression. This collection aims to stimulate researchers to open new avenues to understand the mechanisms of retinal changes in cerebrovascular diseases and to provide a platform for multidisciplinary teams to communicate new findings in this field. We hope to collect a broad range of studies (preclinical and clinical) that shed light on the complex and nuanced relationship between the retina and brain in cerebrovascular diseases. Proposals of innovative methods or techniques that would be non-invasive, technically simple, and accessible in clinical practice are particularly encouraged. We welcome high-quality papers containing original research results as well as review articles of exceptional merit.

The recent development of new quantitative retinal biomarkers provided a step forward in the assessment of retinal features that is considered quantitative measures of the retinal microvasculature and thicknesses. Given that the retina is an easily accessible route and connected to the brain, it is suggested that further advances in retinal imaging analysis will be continuously developed. Thus we encourage novel image analysis algorithms which will bring novel understanding to the retina and brain connection.

Potential topics include but are not limited to, the following:
- Cutting-edge approaches to use retinal imaging to study cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, intracranial hemorrhage, and carotid artery disease;
- Retinal imaging along with additional suitable screening indicators and known risk factors incorporated into a diagnosis algorithm;
- Cutting-edge optical image analysis algorithms and artificial intelligence.

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Frontiers in Neuroscience

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