Cognitive deterioration in older persons was associated with the thinning of the eye′s macular retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was revealed from the findings of a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology. 

The study in almost 400 adults showed a link between baseline macular RNFL thickness and results on two cognitive tests, with thinner baseline macular RNFL being linked to higher cognitive deterioration.

A total of 430 people took part in this investigation. Baseline macular RNFL thickness was linked to the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease CERAD score coefficient [β] = 0.077; 95% CI, 0.054-0.100; P = .04 for the total macular area) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score (coefficient [β] = 0.082; 95% CI, 0.063-0.101; P = .03 for the total macular area). A lower baseline total macular RNFL thickness (lowest quartile, 231 m) was linked with a greater fall in CERAD and MMSE scores over time (P =.003 and P =.01, respectively). Participants with RNFL thickness below the lowest quartile cutoff value had a larger drop in cognitive scores and a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer′s disease than those with RNFL thickness above the lowest quartile cutoff value.

The researchers came to the conclusion that a thinner macular RNFL might be utilized to predict deterioration in cognitive performance and that macular RNFL thickness could be employed as a predictive biomarker of long-term cognitive decline in persons aged 60 and up. However, more population-based research with long-term follow-up is required. (Medscape, Jun 10 2022); JAMA Ophthalmol. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.1563.