Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35769873›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands)2022

A proposed theoretical framework for retinal biomarkers.

Ian James Callum MacCormick, Bo Zhang, Daniel Hill, Maria Francesca Cordeiro, Dylan S Small

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Using Malarial Retinopathy to Improve the Diagnosis of Pediatric Cerebral Malaria.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023
    Article
  2. A proposed theoretical framework for retinal biomarkers.Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2022
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ian James Callum MacCormickCentre for Inflammation Research University of Edinburgh The Queen's Medical Research Institute Edinburgh BioQuarter Edinburgh UK.
Bo ZhangWharton Department of Statistics and Data Science University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA.
Daniel HillCentre for Inflammation Research University of Edinburgh The Queen's Medical Research Institute Edinburgh BioQuarter Edinburgh UK.
Maria Francesca CordeiroUCL Institute of Ophthalmology London UK.
Dylan S SmallWharton Department of Statistics and Data Science University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA.

Funding

CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF CEREBRAL MALARIAR01AI034969 · NIAID · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · PI TAYLOR, TERRIE ELLEN · 1996 to 2011
$3.2M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI034969Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Propose a theoretical framework for retinal biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Background: The retina and brain share important biological features that are relevant to AD. Developing retinal biomarkers of AD is a strategic priority but as yet none have been validated for clinical use. Part of the reason may be that fundamental inferential assumptions have been overlooked. Failing to recognize these assumptions will disadvantage biomarker discovery and validation, but incorporating them into analyses could facilitate translation. New theory: The biological assumption that a disease causes analogous effects in the brain and retina can be expressed within a Bayesian network. This allows inferences about abstract theory and individual events, and provides an opportunity to falsify the foundational hypothesis of retina-brain analogy. Graphical representation of the relationships between variables simplifies comparison between studies and facilitates judgements about whether key assumptions are valid given the current state of knowledge. Major challenges: The framework provides a visual approach to retinal biomarkers and may help to rationalize analysis of future studies. It suggests possible reasons for inconsistent results in existing literature on AD biomarkers. Linkage to other theories: The framework can be modified to describe alternative theories of retinal biomarker biology, such as retrograde degeneration resulting from brain disease, and can incorporate confounding factors such as co-existent glaucoma or macular degeneration. Parallels with analogue confirmation theory and surrogate marker validation suggest strengths and weaknesses of the framework that can be anticipated when developing analysis plans. Highlights: Retinal biomarkers hold great promise for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but none are currently used clinically.Assumptions about the cause of retinal and brain changes are often overlooked, and this may disadvantage biomarker discovery and validation.We present a new approach to retinal biomarkers that describes cause and effect graphically in a Bayesian network.We show how this allows a more complete assessment of how well a biomarker might reflect the brain, and how data from right and left eyes can be used to rule out poor biomarker candidates.

Indexed as

Alzheimer's diseaseBayesianbiomarkerbrain diseasecerebral malariaretinasurrogatevalidation

Identifiers

PMID35769873
PMCPMC9211063

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.