Can studying eye changes in people with Down's syndrome help identify those at a higher risk of Alzheimer's?

Lead Investigator: Dr Imre Lengyel

Institution: Queen’s University Belfast

Grant type: Alzheimer’s Society Project Grant

Start date: September 2022

Duration: 36 months

Amount: £383,711.00

Project summary:

Getting an early and accurate diagnosis of the disease causing a person’s dementia remains a huge challenge.  

Dr Lengyel is investigating the eye health of people living with Down’s syndrome and mild cognitive impairment (early-stage memory and thinking problems), to see if there is a link between eye health and brain health.  

This research could help identify new ways of spotting some of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which, in the future, could speed up the diagnosis.   

Project background:

Researchers believe detecting Alzheimer’s disease early is key to providing a window of opportunity where future treatments would work best. People with Down’s syndrome have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and researchers believe they may be able to spot changes in the eye associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.  

In their previous research, Dr Lengyel and his team compared the eyes of people with and without Down’s syndrome. Their results showed that people with Down’s syndrome had changes in eye health, with some having early and unusual cataract formation, and a thickening of the tissue at the back of the eye. The next step of the research is to compare these eye changes to changes seen in people with mild cognitive impairment.  

What does this project involve?

Dr Lengyel and his team are looking at the eye health of people living with Down’s syndrome and mild cognitive impairment (early-stage memory and thinking problems), to see if there is a link between eye health and brain health. They will conduct a series of eye assessments which will involve imaging the eye to investigate its structure. 

The researchers will also look for biomarkers - or ‘red flags’ in the blood, saliva, and tears to see if there are any changes which can be associated with Alzheimer’s disease in people living with Down’s syndrome.

How will this project help people with dementia?

This research is exciting because it could help identify new ways of spotting some of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

This research could lead to more accessible, non-invasive ways to detect, diagnose, and monitor Alzheimer's disease from the earliest possible stage, and help us to build better understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease develops.