Evaluating associations of RNFL thickness and multifocal VEP with cognitive assessment and brain MRI volumes in older adults: Optic nerve decline and cognitive change (ONDCC) initiative

Ting Shen; Samran Sheriff; Yuyi You; Jiyang Jiang; Angela Schulz; Heather Francis; Mehdi Mirzaei; Danit Saks; Nitin Chitranshi; Veer Gupta; Maria Fiatarone Singh; Alexander Klistorner; Wei Wen; Perminder Sachdev; Vivek K. Gupta; Stuart L. Graham

Aging Brain (Jan 2022)

Evaluating associations of RNFL thickness and multifocal VEP with cognitive assessment and brain MRI volumes in older adults: Optic nerve decline and cognitive change (ONDCC) initiative

Ting Shen,
Samran Sheriff,
Yuyi You,
Jiyang Jiang,
Angela Schulz,
Heather Francis,
Mehdi Mirzaei,
Danit Saks,
Nitin Chitranshi,
Veer Gupta,
Maria Fiatarone Singh,
Alexander Klistorner,
Wei Wen,
Perminder Sachdev,
Vivek K. Gupta,
Stuart L. Graham

Affiliations

Ting Shen: Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai First People’s Hospital), School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Corresponding authors at: Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai First People's hospital), School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Macquarie University.
Samran Sheriff: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Yuyi You: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Jiyang Jiang: Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and the Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Angela Schulz: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Heather Francis: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Mehdi Mirzaei: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Danit Saks: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Nitin Chitranshi: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Veer Gupta: Faculty of Health, Deakin University, VIC, Australia
Maria Fiatarone Singh: The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Alexander Klistorner: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Wei Wen: Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and the Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Perminder Sachdev: Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and the Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Vivek K. Gupta: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Corresponding authors at: Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai First People's hospital), School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Macquarie University.
Stuart L. Graham: Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2
p. 100049

Abstract

Read online

To examine the relationships of retinal structural (optical coherence tomography) and visual functional (multifocal visual evoked potentials, mfVEP) indices with neuropsychological and brain structural measurements in healthy older subjects. 95 participants (mean (SD) age 68.1 (9.0)) years were recruited in the Optic Nerve Decline and Cognitive Change (ONDCC) study in this observational clinical investigation. OCT was conducted for retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and mfVEP for amplitude and latency measurements. Participants undertook neuropsychological tests for cognitive performance and MRI for volumetric evaluation of various brain regions. Generalised estimating equation models were used for association analysis (p < 0.05). The brain volumetric measures including total grey matter (GM), cortex, thalamus, hippocampal and fourth ventricular volumes were significantly associated with global and sectoral RNFL. RNFL thickness correlated with delayed recalls of California verbal learning test (CVLT) and Rey complex figure test (RCFT). The mfVEP amplitudes associated with cerebral white matter (WM) and cingulate GM volumes in MRI and CVLT, RCFT and trail making test outcomes. A significant association of mfVEP latency with logical memory delayed recall and thalamus volume was also observed. Our results suggested significant association of specific RNFL and mfVEP measures with distinctive brain region volumes and cognitive tests reflecting performance in memory, visuospatial and executive functional domains. These findings indicate that the mfVEP and RNFL measurements may parallel brain structural and neuropsychological measures in the older population.

Published in Aging Brain

ISSN: 2589-9589 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/aging-brain

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords