Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39957423›Full record

ArticleBrain and behavior2025

Lower Retinal Arteriolar Density Is Associated With Higher Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study.

Le Cao, Hang Wang, Jinkui Hao, William Robert Kwapong, Zhouwei Xiong, Ruilin Wang, Chen Ye, Yitian Zhao, Bo Wu, Wendan Tao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain and behavior, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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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

10 authors.

Le CaoDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0414-9932
Hang WangDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6021-739X
Jinkui HaoCixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, PR China.
William Robert KwapongDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Zhouwei XiongCixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, PR China.
Ruilin WangDepartment of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Chen YeDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Yitian ZhaoCixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, PR China.
Bo WuDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2067-9965
Wendan TaoDepartment of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82071320National Natural Science Foundation of China 8601022Sichuan Science and Technology Program 2023NSFSC1558Sichuan University and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China HXDZ22011/ZYGX2022YGRH017West China Hospital, Sichuan University 2024HXFH023
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIt is suggested that cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) plays a role in strokes and dementia. Retinal microvasculature imaged by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is suggested to be associated with cerebral microvessels. We measured the density of the retinal arterioles and venules on the superficial vascular complex (SVC) of OCTA images and investigated associations with SVD markers in older adults.

methodsParticipants underwent cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and OCTA imaging. An external algorithm (OCTA-Net) was used to segment the retinal vessels into arterioles and venules. SVD indicators [lacunes, white matter hyperintensity (WMH), perivascular spaces (PVS) and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs)] were determined according to the STandards for ReportIng Vascular changes on nEuroimaging (STRIVE)

results246 older adults (mean age = 58.84 ± 7.00 years; 38.21 % males) were included in our data analysis. After adjusting for covariates, lower retinal arteriole densities correlated with higher periventricular WMH (p = 0.025) and PVS in the basal ganglia (p = 0.027). Lower retinal venule density correlated with higher deep WMH burden (p = 0.014). Lower arteriolar density was associated with increased SVD burden (p = 0.035). Arteriolar complex branching was associated with periventricular WMH (p = 0.020) while venular complex branching was associated with deep WMH (p = 0.041).

conclusionRetinal vascular changes may reflect cerebral vascular changes as evidenced by OCTA-derived metrics.

Indexed as

Cerebral Small Vessel DiseasesRetinal VesselsAgedArteriolesFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedTomography, Optical CoherenceVenulesarteriolesoptical coherence tomography angiographyperivascular spacesvenuleswhite matter hyperintensities

Identifiers

PMID39957423
PMCPMC11830995

What Socratic holds

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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.