Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42112683›Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2026

Corneal Immune Cell Alterations and Tau Pathology in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Di Zhang, Duntao Huang, Junju He, Yong Shen, Linbin Dai, Lei Shi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Di ZhangDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
Duntao HuangNeurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
Junju HeNeurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
Yong ShenNeurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
Linbin DaiNeurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
Lei ShiDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a formidable challenge. Although retinal markers are extensively studied, the cornea-the eye's primary transparent window-presents a potential but poorly understood platform for biomarker discovery. This study systematically characterized AD-associated corneal pathological evolution using the 5 × FAD mouse model. Methods: Corneas from wild-type (WT) and 5 × FAD mice (ages 3, 5, 7, and 10 months; both sexes included) were analyzed using multimodal approaches: whole-mount immunostaining with 3D reconstruction, immunoblotting, RNA sequencing, and mass spectrometry proteomics. Results: Although local human APP production was absent, a defined temporal cascade emerged selectively in the peripheral cornea. Dendritic cell (DC) morphological simplification (reduced perimeter and branching) occurred as early as 3 months, preceding significant DC expansion at 5 months and CD3⁺ T cell infiltration at 7 months. Tau hyperphosphorylation (Thr181) surfaced at 7 months, coinciding with heightened GSK3β activity (reduced pGSK3β Ser9). By 10 months, significant peripheral subbasal nerve plexus and superficial nerve terminals loss were observed, with residual fibers exhibiting markedly elevated phosphorylated tau burden. Multi-omics at 7 months validated this pro-inflammatory state, identifying upregulated adhesion molecules (ICAM1 and ITGB2) and the T cell chemoattractant IL-16. Conclusions: Corneal neuro-immune remodeling-manifesting as early DC dysfunction followed by T cell recruitment and tau pathology-precedes overt nerve degeneration. These findings suggest the cornea as a potential, noninvasively accessible site for monitoring AD progression.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCorneatau ProteinsAgingAmyloid beta-Protein PrecursorAnimalsDendritic CellsDisease Models, AnimalHumansMicePhosphorylationT-LymphocytesAmyloid beta-Protein PrecursorAPP protein, humanMapt protein, mousetau Proteins

Identifiers

PMID42112683
PMCPMC13179588

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.