In Brief |  Potential Structural Biomarkers in 3D Images Validated by the First Functional Biomarker for Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration – ALSTAR2 Baseline

Originally published in  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

This study aims to understand the relationship between delayed rod-mediated dark adaptation (RMDA), a functional biomarker for early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and the status of outer retinal bands on optical coherence tomography (OCT). 

Baseline data from 476 participants, including those with early AMD (n = 138), intermediate AMD (n = 101), and normal aging (n = 237), were analyzed. Results showed that delayed RMDA (longer rod intercept time, RIT) was strongly associated with less preserved interdigitation zone (IZ) area, decreased IZ thickness and reduced ellipsoid zone (EZ) area. 
However, this correlation was not evident when considering normal eyes alone within 1.5 mm of the fovea.

These findings suggest that RMDA correlates with the status of outer retinal bands, particularly the IZ, in early and intermediate AMD eyes. This correlation aligns with previous analyses focusing solely on foveal B-scans and is biologically plausible given the role of the IZ in retinoid availability, which is crucial for RMDA.

 

Access the original research article

Fasih-Ahmad, S., Wang, Z., Mishra, Z., Vatanatham, C., Clark, M. E., Swain, T. A., Curcio, C. A., Owsley, C., Sadda, S. R., & Hu, Z. J. (2023). Potential Structural Biomarkers in 3D Images Validated by the First Functional Biomarker for Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration - ALSTAR2 Baseline. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2023.09.10.23295309. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.10.23295309

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