Detailed Analysis of Intraretinal Layers and Their Correlation to Brain Structures in Normal Healthy Aging.
7 affiliations
- 1University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
- 3Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo - EPM/UNIFESP, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
- 4Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- 5Department of Radiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
- 6Biostatistics Center, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
- 7Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between intraretinal layer volumes and visual cortical thickness in healthy individuals and determine the influence of age on these associations.Methods
Fifty-three subjects were recruited. One eye per subject was imaged using optical coherence tomography (OCT) to quantify volumes of total retinal thickness (TRT), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), and photoreceptor (PR) layer. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed, and cortical thickness was quantified in 13 visual cortex regions using the Schaefer 2018 atlas.Results
TRT, RNFL, and GCIPL volumes were significantly correlated with cortical thickness in multiple visual regions (r = 0.34-0.59, all P < 0.05). These associations were largely attenuated after adjusting for age. In contrast, selected RNFL and INL associations remained significant after age adjustment. OPL, ONL, and PR layer showed no significant correlations with cortical thickness. PR layer volume increased with age (r = 0.38, P < 0.01), unlike the age-related thinning observed in other layers.Conclusions
Distinct retinal layers exhibit differential relationships with the visual cortex, with some associations predominantly mediated by age and selected RNFL and INL associations persisting independently of age.Translational relevance
Distinguishing age-mediated from age-independent retinal-cortical relationships may help identify OCT-derived retinal measures that differentiate normal aging from cerebral pathology and support their investigation as noninvasive biomarkers of central nervous system (CNS) integrity.
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BibTeX
@article{cipolla2026detailed,
title = {{Detailed Analysis of Intraretinal Layers and Their Correlation to Brain Structures in Normal Healthy Aging.}},
author = {Jack Anthony Cipolla and Giovana Rosa Gameiro and William Tackett and Jessica Morgan and Geoffrey Aguirre and Pradip Pattany and Robert O'Brien and Hong Jiang and John A Detre and Jianhua Wang},
journal = {Translational vision science \& technology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1167/tvst.15.10.1},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42831734},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Detailed Analysis of Intraretinal Layers and Their Correlation to Brain Structures in Normal Healthy Aging.
AU - Jack Anthony Cipolla
AU - Giovana Rosa Gameiro
AU - William Tackett
AU - Jessica Morgan
AU - Geoffrey Aguirre
AU - Pradip Pattany
AU - Robert O'Brien
AU - Hong Jiang
AU - John A Detre
AU - Jianhua Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Translational vision science & technology
DO - 10.1167/tvst.15.10.1
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42831734
AB - Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between intraretinal layer volumes and visual cortical thickness in healthy individuals and determine the influence of age on these associations.Methods Fifty-three subjects were recruited. One eye per subject was imaged using optical coherence tomography (OCT) to quantify volumes of total retinal thickness (TRT), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), and photoreceptor (PR) layer. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed, and cortical thickness was quantified in 13 visual cortex regions using the Schaefer 2018 atlas.Results TRT, RNFL, and GCIPL volumes were significantly correlated with cortical thickness in multiple visual regions (r = 0.34-0.59, all P < 0.05). These associations were largely attenuated after adjusting for age. In contrast, selected RNFL and INL associations remained significant after age adjustment. OPL, ONL, and PR layer showed no significant correlations with cortical thickness. PR layer volume increased with age (r = 0.38, P < 0.01), unlike the age-related thinning observed in other layers.Conclusions Distinct retinal layers exhibit differential relationships with the visual cortex, with some associations predominantly mediated by age and selected RNFL and INL associations persisting independently of age.Translational relevance Distinguishing age-mediated from age-independent retinal-cortical relationships may help identify OCT-derived retinal measures that differentiate normal aging from cerebral pathology and support their investigation as noninvasive biomarkers of central nervous system (CNS) integrity.
SN - 2164-2591
ER -