Open AccessLoss of corneal nerves and brain volume in mild cognitive impairment and dementia
Author(s) -
Ponirakis Georgios,
Hamad Hanadi Al,
Khan Adnan,
Petropoulos Ioannis N.,
Gad Hoda,
Chandran Mani,
Elsotouhy Ahmed,
Ramadan Marwan,
Gawhale Priya V.,
Elorrabi Marwa,
Gadelseed Masharig,
Tosino Rhia,
Arasn Anjum,
Manikoth Pravija,
Abdelrahim Yasmin H.M.,
Refaee Mahmoud A,
Thodi Noushad,
Vattoth Surjith,
Almuhannadi Hamad,
Mahfoud Ziyad R.,
Bhat Harun,
Own Ahmed,
Shuaib Ashfaq,
Malik Rayaz A.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: translational research and clinical interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.49
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 2352-8737
DOI - 10.1002/trc2.12269
Subject(s) - dementia , montreal cognitive assessment , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , cognitive impairment , psychology , audiology , cognition , ophthalmology , radiology , psychiatry , disease
This study compared the capability of corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain volumetry for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, participants with no cognitive impairment (NCI), MCI, and dementia underwent assessment of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), MRI brain volumetry, and CCM. Results Two hundred eight participants with NCI (n = 42), MCI (n = 98), and dementia (n = 68) of comparable age and gender were studied. For MCI, the area under the curve (AUC) of CCM (76% to 81%), was higher than brain volumetry (52% to 70%). For dementia, the AUC of CCM (77% to 85%), was comparable to brain volumetry (69% to 93%). Corneal nerve fiber density, length, branch density, whole brain, hippocampus, cortical gray matter, thalamus, amygdala, and ventricle volumes were associated with cognitive impairment after adjustment for confounders (All P ’s < .01). Discussion The diagnostic capability of CCM compared to brain volumetry is higher for identifying MCI and comparable for dementia, and abnormalities in both modalities are associated with cognitive impairment.