In the AGES cohort we found evidence of brain microbleeds in 485 (11.5%) people;192 people had multiple microbleeds. People with signs of retinal microvascular lesions were significantly more likely to have multiple cerbral microbleeds than were people without retinal microvascular lesions. Retinal microvascular abnormalities and microbleeds in the brain microbleeds may occur together in older adults, particularly in people with diabetes. Qiu C, Cotch MF, Sigurdsson S, Garcia M, Klein R, Jonasson F, Klein BE, Eiriksdottir G, Harris TB, van Buchem MA, Gudnason V, Launer LJ (2008) Retinal and cerebral microvascular signs and diabetes: the age, gene/environment susceptibility-Reykjavik study. Diabetes 57:1645-50. We also investigated whether there was any connection between retinal pathology and the presence and distribution of brain infarcts or white matter hyperintensities - markers of diffuse cerebral microvascular disease. Of the 4,176 adults we studied (mean age 76 years), 740 (17.7%) had evidence of retinal focal narrowing in at least one eye, 1749 people (41.9%) had retinal arteriovenous nicking, and 805 people (19.3%) had retinopathy lesions of retinal blot hemorrhages and microaneurysms. After taking into account major cardiovascular risk factors which might explain an association, we found people with retinal foccal narrowing or arteriovenous nicking (but not retinopathy lesions) to have a higher load of white matter brain intensities, specificially in the subcortical frontal lobe and the periventricular frontal and parietal caps. People who had retinal microvascular lesions in both eyes tended to have the highest brain load. We also observed a connection between arteriovenous nicking and subcortical brain infarcts. Qiu C, Cotch MF, Sigurdsson S, Klein R, Jonasson F, Klein BE, Garcia M, Jonsson PV, Harris TB, Eiriksdottir G, Kjartansson O, van Buchem MA, Gudnason V, Launer LJ (2009) Microvascular lesions in the brain and retina: The age, gene/environment susceptibility-Reykjavik study. Ann Neurol 65:569-76. We are following up these findings to determine whether there are functional correlates in persons having cerebral and/or retinal microvascular disease. A follow-up examination on a subset of 4,000 elderly individuals in this cohort was initiated at the end of 2007. As of August 31, 2010, the follow-up examination is on-going. A subgroup of the AGES participants was genotyped in 2009. AGES is collaborating with investigators from other aging and cardiovascular cohorts as part of the CHARGE consortium to work on meta-analyses of genotype-phenotype data. See paper in press in PLOS Genetics. For more information on the study, see www.hjarta.is/english/ages. Refer to project bibliography on the study website for published papers and papers in press. See also annual reports AG007380 and AG006000(Dr. Harris).
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