Frontiers in Neuroscience (Jun 2021)

Association of Cerebral Ischemia With Corneal Nerve Loss and Brain Atrophy in MCI and Dementia

  • Georgios Ponirakis,
  • Georgios Ponirakis,
  • Ahmed Elsotouhy,
  • Ahmed Elsotouhy,
  • Hanadi Al Hamad,
  • Surjith Vattoth,
  • Ioannis N. Petropoulos,
  • Adnan Khan,
  • Hoda Gad,
  • Fatima Al-Khayat,
  • Mani Chandran,
  • Marwan Ramadan,
  • Marwa Elorrabi,
  • Masharig Gadelseed,
  • Rhia Tosino,
  • Priya V. Gawhale,
  • Maryam Alobaidi,
  • Shafi Khan,
  • Pravija Manikoth,
  • Yasmin H. M. Abdelrahim,
  • Noushad Thodi,
  • Hamad Almuhannadi,
  • Salma Al-Mohannadi,
  • Fatema AlMarri,
  • Murtaza Qazi,
  • Ahmed Own,
  • Ziyad R. Mahfoud,
  • Ashfaq Shuaib,
  • Rayaz A. Malik,
  • Rayaz A. Malik,
  • Rayaz A. Malik

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.690896
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15

Abstract

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IntroductionThis study assessed the association of cerebral ischemia with neurodegeneration in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.MethodsSubjects with MCI, dementia and controls underwent assessment of cognitive function, severity of brain ischemia, MRI brain volumetry and corneal confocal microscopy.ResultsOf 63 subjects with MCI (n = 44) and dementia (n = 19), 11 had no ischemia, 32 had subcortical ischemia and 20 had both subcortical and cortical ischemia. Brain volume and corneal nerve measures were comparable between subjects with subcortical ischemia and no ischemia. However, subjects with subcortical and cortical ischemia had a lower hippocampal volume (P < 0.01), corneal nerve fiber length (P < 0.05) and larger ventricular volume (P < 0.05) compared to those with subcortical ischemia and lower corneal nerve fiber density (P < 0.05) compared to those without ischemia.DiscussionCerebral ischemia was associated with cognitive impairment, brain atrophy and corneal nerve loss in MCI and dementia.

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