NORFACE (Neuro-ophtalmology Research at Ace)
És un projecte unicèntric realitzat a Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona i iniciat l’any 2014. Els seus objectius són analitzar el potencial de la imatge retiniana mitjançant Tomografia per Coherència Òptica (OCT) com a biomarcador de la Mal. Alzheimer i investigar les relacions del gruix i la càrrega vascular de la retina amb la cognició i altres biomarcadors com la MRI cerebral, el PET-amiloide i el LCR. Finalitzat el reclutament l’any 2021, s’han realitzat més de 10.000 imatges retinianes amb dos dispositius OCT (Maestro i Triton, TopCon, Japan) en indivius cognitivament sans, amb deteriorament cognitiu lleu i diversos tipus de demència. L’estudi ha estat financiat per Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona, Marie Sklodowska postdoctoral fellowship (Horizon 2020) i AES PI19/00335.
There is currently a lack of precise, high-resolution tests in the diagnostic process of neurodegenerative diseases. Existing methods are either extremely expensive, such as neuroimaging techniques, or highly invasive (and painful), such as lumbar puncture. During the neurodegenerative process, brain atrophy (or reduction in size) occurs, particularly affecting specific lobes. Recent studies have also shown thinning of the retina and its different layers.
Researchers at Fundació ACE aim to expand the use of retinal thickness measurement through fundus photography to gain a better understanding of brain function and, consequently, patients’ clinical status, thereby advancing the knowledge and application of new diagnostic models and tools. Through the NORFACE project (Neuro-ophthalmology Research at Fundació ACE), Fundació ACE seeks to consolidate the use of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a technique commonly used in ophthalmology to measure retinal thickness, now applied to the study of brain function in patients with cognitive impairment or dementia.
The use of OCT is expected to improve diagnostic quality in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. This technique could be implemented in memory clinics or in routine clinical practice, transforming current diagnostic and prognostic models for neurodegenerative diseases. With funds raised during the first Alzheimer’s Night, Fundació ACE plans to apply this new technique to 500 patients over a three-year period and further develop its use to provide more accurate early prognoses in a faster, more cost-effective and non-invasive manner.
This is the largest study to date involving patients with cognitive impairment and/or dementia. It will also be pioneering in terms of the wide diversity of dementia causes or types it encompasses and the extended follow-up period proposed for patients, ranging from three to four years. Back to the Research Unit
