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NCT06023446

Can (Optical Coherence Tomography) Pictures of the Retina Detect Alzheimer's Disease at Its Earliest Stages?

Enrolling by Invitation
Not specifiedAges 50–89Observational
University of California, Davis
~100 participants
Updated 2025-12-05 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Optical Coherence Tomography

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Light-dependent Change in Optical Coherence Tomography Images
Measured over Day 1 (less than two hours)

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease
Mild Cognitive Impairment

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Alzheimer's DiseaseMild cognitive disorderAmyloidMicrotubule-Associated Protein Tau

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
California1

Who to contact

This trial hasn't published a contact. View it on ClinicalTrials.gov

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

By clinician (or prior research) assessment, known to either be cognitively normal, or have mild cognitive impairment
Known Alzheimer's biomarker status. As of 2023-JUL, this must either be an amyloid PET scan, or cerebrospinal fluid measurement of amyloid and tau levels.
NOTE: Although this is a study of the eyes, age-typical ocular/vision complaints are permissible, so long as the the retina is thought to be healthy. This list of acceptable conditions includes most people who:
wear glasses
wear contacts
use over-the-counter eye drops
have mild cataracts (no surgery scheduled)
had cataracts removed
had eye muscle surgery (e.g., to correct eye misalignment)
had eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty)
are monitored by an ophthalmologist in case a problem with the retina develops (this is sometimes suggested for people with diabetes), but one or both retinas is/are thought to be completely healthy

Exclusion

Pregnant women
Prisoners
Known \*for both eyes\* to have ocular health or vision abnormalities that are not age-typical. The list of unacceptable conditions includes most people who:
have a special corrective lens (glasses or contact lens) prescription with a sphere greater than seven
currently use prescription eye drops (e.g., for glaucoma)
have/had prior surgical treatment for a retinal problem (e.g., retinal detachment that required surgery)
have/had eye injections for age-related macular degeneration

What this trial measures

  • Light-dependent Change in Optical Coherence Tomography ImagesDay 1 (less than two hours)

    The investigators will obtain OCT B-scans of the span of retina between the center of the optic disc and the fovea. Each B-scan will be spatially normalized and averaged to generate a profile of retinal reflectivity versus depth into the retina. Reflectivities in light will be compared to reflectivities in darkness. In both groups, the investigators expect that (1) over the photoreceptor inner and outer segments, the retina will be more reflective in light then in darkness, (2) in the more vitread portions of the retina (the layers occupied by Müller glia), the retina will be slightly less reflective in light than in darkness. The investigators expect a group differences in that functional outcome. The largest group difference is expected near the exterior border of the Müller glia, where participants with a pre-dementia stage of Alzheimer's may have an exaggerated light-dependent change in reflectivity.