Ames, Iowa — Iowa State University researchers are trying to find out if a common scan of the eye might be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Tricia Neppl says one-in-ten people 65 and older are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s — but the disease can start taking hold much earlier.
Neppl says a scan of a person’s retina may be the indicator needed.
Neppl is an associate professor of human development and family studies, and says they are looking at social and economic factors throughout the study group’s life to see how they figure in.
She says a retinal scan could end up being an easy way to identify that Alzheimer’s early phase.
Neppl is studying three generations of a group of people that were first studied to see how the Great Recession impacted them back in 1989. The first group was in their 40’s when the study started and now are in their 70’s
Neppl is working with I-S-U biomedical sciences professor Heather Greenlee in examining the images of the retina. Greenlee has worked extensively in the study the retinas of animals with neurodegenerative diseases, such as mad cow disease in cattle.
Photo Caption: A retinal scan
