Scientists are optimistic that technology could one day serve as a pre-screening tool for identifying individuals at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. A collaborative study led by Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology employed artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze an AlzEye dataset and identify retinal markers associated with the condition.
The researchers examined data from a group of 154,830 patients aged 40 and above who had attended secondary care ophthalmic hospitals in London between 2008 and 2018. They also utilized data from the UK Biobank, studying 67,311 healthy volunteers aged 40 to 69 who were recruited between 2006 and 2010. The findings revealed that individuals with Parkinson’s exhibited a thinner ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and inner nuclear layer (INL) in the eye.
Based on these results, the researchers propose that monitoring these retinal layers in the years before symptoms appear could enable the early detection of Parkinson’s disease. Siegfried Wagner, a clinical research fellow at Moorfields and a researcher at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, expressed his astonishment at the discoveries made through eye scans. He stated, “While we are not yet capable of predicting an individual’s likelihood of developing Parkinson’s, we anticipate that this method could soon become a pre-screening tool for those at risk of the disease. Detecting signs of various diseases before symptoms manifest could provide individuals with the opportunity to make lifestyle changes that could help prevent certain conditions and allow clinicians to postpone the onset and impact of life-altering neurodegenerative disorders.”
Alastair Denniston, a consultant ophthalmologist at University Hospitals Birmingham and professor at the University of Birmingham, notes the potential for eye data, interpreted by AI, to identify subtle signs and changes that may go unnoticed by humans. He stated, “We can now detect very early signs of Parkinson’s, opening up new possibilities for treatment.”
Louisa Wickham, medical director at Moorfields Eye Hospital, highlights the potential impact of using imaging across a broader population, emphasizing the prospect of “predictive analysis.” She asserts that optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans are more scalable, non-invasive, cost-effective, and quicker than brain scans for this purpose.
This project involved collaboration with the National Institute of Health and Social Care, as well as biomedical research centers at Moorfields Eye Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), Oxford University Hospital, University College Hospital London, and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. The findings of the study have been published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Claire Bale, Associate Director of Research at Parkinson’s UK, emphasizes the importance of intervening early to prevent the loss of crucial brain cells. She states, “Parkinson’s UK and others are already funding clinical trials to explore medications and lifestyle approaches with the goal of halting, slowing, or preventing Parkinson’s.” Bale believes that this research provides hope that eye scans can be used to identify individuals at risk of developing Parkinson’s, enabling early intervention. Furthermore, since the eye scans analyzed in this study are non-invasive and already part of routine medical practice, implementation in the NHS is feasible.
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