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Stroke

Retinal abnormalities predict brain infarcts

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 6, page 414 (2010)Cite this article

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Silent brain infarcts ... are commonly identified on MRI scans

Silent brain infarcts are associated with neurological deficits and are commonly identified on MRI scans. Such infarcts are also recognized to be a key risk factor for clinical stroke. The pathogenesis of brain infarcts is not well understood; abnormalities in cerebral small vessels have been implicated, but these vessels are difficult to study directly. The cerebral microvasculature shares several key features with the retinal microvasculature, which can be studied noninvasively and with relative ease. Moreover, pathological changes in the retinal microvasculature might be indicative of broader processes also affecting small vessels in the brain. Cross-sectional studies have previously shown an association between retinopathy and clinical stroke. Thus, Cheung et al. aimed to see “if retinal microvascular abnormalities in fact predicted 'silent' stroke”, says Tien Wong, one of the study's researchers.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Cheung, N. et al. Retinal microvascular abnormalities and subclinical magnetic resonance imaging brain infarct: a prospective study. Brain 133, 1987–1993 (2010)

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  1. Eleanor Beal
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Beal, E. Retinal abnormalities predict brain infarcts. Nat Rev Neurol 6, 414 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2010.99

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