title: Pupil response biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A screening process that could provide early and accurate diagnosis or prognosis for Alzheimer's disease (AD) would enable earlier intervention, and enable current and future treatments to be more effective. Ocular pathology and changes to vision and ocular function are being investigated for early detection and monitoring of AD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between pupil flash response (PFR) parameters, AD and brain amyloid plaque burden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen AD and seventy healthy control (HC) participants were recruited from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Flagship Study of Ageing. The potential correlations between PFR parameters and 1) AD and 2) brain amyloid plaque burden in the HC group (as a pre-clinical feature of AD), were investigated in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results demonstrate statistically significant relationships between PFR parameters, neocortical plaque burden and AD. A logistical model combining PFR parameters provided AD-classification performance with sensitivity 84.1%, specificity 78.3% and area under the curve 89.6%. Furthermore, some of the AD specific PFR parameters were also associated with neocortical plaque burden in pre-clinical AD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These PFR changes show potential as an adjunct for noninvasive, cost-effective screening for pre-clinical AD.
authors.affiliation: The McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation, Suite 22, Hollywood Medical Centre, 85 Monash Ave, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. ralph.n.martins@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.forename: Yogesan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanagasingam
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sohrabi
authors.forename: Pierrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bourgeat
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Villemagne
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: S Lance
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Macaulay
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szoeke
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.forename: Colin L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rainey-Smith
authors.forename: Ralph N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011680:Pupil / Q000502:physiology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity