Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders

Jamie Cheng,1 Saba S Paracha,1 Saumya Agrawal,2 Zhenquan Wu,2 Ching-Hwa Sung2,3 1The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 3Department of Cell and De...

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Main Authors: Cheng J, Paracha SS, Agrawal S, Wu Z, Sung CH
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2025-06-01
Series:Eye and Brain
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Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/recent-advances-in-visual-dysfunction-and-ocular-biomarkers-in-neurolo-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-EB
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author Cheng J
Paracha SS
Agrawal S
Wu Z
Sung CH
author_facet Cheng J
Paracha SS
Agrawal S
Wu Z
Sung CH
author_sort Cheng J
collection DOAJ
description Jamie Cheng,1 Saba S Paracha,1 Saumya Agrawal,2 Zhenquan Wu,2 Ching-Hwa Sung2,3 1The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 3Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Ching-Hwa Sung, Department of Ophthalmology, Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA, Email chsung@med.cornell.eduAbstract: The visual system is an integral part of the central nervous system, and visual symptoms often serve as an early manifestation of underlying neurological pathologies. This review synthesizes recent findings on visual dysfunction in various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. These reports emphasize that ophthalmological symptoms are increasingly recognized as part of a broader spectrum of neurological conditions, enhancing their clinical relevance for differential diagnosis and symptom management. Non-invasive, high-resolution ocular imaging techniques can identify retinal pathologies at the subcellular level. Additionally, the non-invasive visual functional assay, electroretinography, can further corroborate findings of retinal pathology. Distinct retinal changes are detectable in the early stages of progressive neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, and are strongly correlated with cognitive decline in conditions like Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Joubert syndrome. These findings highlight the clinical potential of retinal imaging for risk assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring the progression of diseases with insidious onset. Furthermore, this review emphasizes the retina’s accessibility as a key component in investigating the underlying pathophysiology of neurological conditions. Additional clinical and basic science research is needed to better understand the distinct and potentially interconnected contributions of the brain and retina to specific visual symptoms. Investigating suitable preclinical mouse models will be vital for developing and refining novel ocular diagnostic markers, which are important for symptom management and the advancement of therapeutic strategies.Keywords: visual symptom, retinal pathology, non-invasive ocular diagnosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s
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series Eye and Brain
spelling doaj-art-49452cfd09a64a71b5879eb0a0b224932025-08-20T02:24:13ZengDove Medical PressEye and Brain1179-27442025-06-01Volume 17Issue 14967103901Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological DisordersCheng JParacha SS0Agrawal SWu ZSung CH1Medical SchoolOphthalmologyJamie Cheng,1 Saba S Paracha,1 Saumya Agrawal,2 Zhenquan Wu,2 Ching-Hwa Sung2,3 1The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 3Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Ching-Hwa Sung, Department of Ophthalmology, Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA, Email chsung@med.cornell.eduAbstract: The visual system is an integral part of the central nervous system, and visual symptoms often serve as an early manifestation of underlying neurological pathologies. This review synthesizes recent findings on visual dysfunction in various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. These reports emphasize that ophthalmological symptoms are increasingly recognized as part of a broader spectrum of neurological conditions, enhancing their clinical relevance for differential diagnosis and symptom management. Non-invasive, high-resolution ocular imaging techniques can identify retinal pathologies at the subcellular level. Additionally, the non-invasive visual functional assay, electroretinography, can further corroborate findings of retinal pathology. Distinct retinal changes are detectable in the early stages of progressive neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, and are strongly correlated with cognitive decline in conditions like Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Joubert syndrome. These findings highlight the clinical potential of retinal imaging for risk assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring the progression of diseases with insidious onset. Furthermore, this review emphasizes the retina’s accessibility as a key component in investigating the underlying pathophysiology of neurological conditions. Additional clinical and basic science research is needed to better understand the distinct and potentially interconnected contributions of the brain and retina to specific visual symptoms. Investigating suitable preclinical mouse models will be vital for developing and refining novel ocular diagnostic markers, which are important for symptom management and the advancement of therapeutic strategies.Keywords: visual symptom, retinal pathology, non-invasive ocular diagnosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’shttps://www.dovepress.com/recent-advances-in-visual-dysfunction-and-ocular-biomarkers-in-neurolo-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-EBVisual symptomRetinal pathologyNon-invasive ocular diagnosisAlzheimer'sParkinson’s
spellingShingle Cheng J
Paracha SS
Agrawal S
Wu Z
Sung CH
Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders
Eye and Brain
Visual symptom
Retinal pathology
Non-invasive ocular diagnosis
Alzheimer's
Parkinson’s
title Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders
title_full Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders
title_fullStr Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders
title_full_unstemmed Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders
title_short Recent Advances in Visual Dysfunction and Ocular Biomarkers in Neurological Disorders
title_sort recent advances in visual dysfunction and ocular biomarkers in neurological disorders
topic Visual symptom
Retinal pathology
Non-invasive ocular diagnosis
Alzheimer's
Parkinson’s
url https://www.dovepress.com/recent-advances-in-visual-dysfunction-and-ocular-biomarkers-in-neurolo-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-EB
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