Retinal Vessel Caliber and Lifelong Neuropsychological Functioning: Retinal Imaging as an Investigative Tool for Cognitive Epidemiology
Shalev, I. Moffitt, T.E. Wong, T.Y. Meier, M.H. Houts, R.M. Ding, J. Cheung, C.Y. Ikram, M.K. Caspi, A. Poulton, R.
Shalev, I.
Moffitt, T.E.
Meier, M.H.
Houts, R.M.
Ding, J.
Ikram, M.K.
Caspi, A.
Poulton, R.
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Alternative Title
Abstract
Why do more intelligent people live healthier and longer lives? One possibility is that intelligence tests assess health of the brain, but psychological science has lacked technology to evaluate this hypothesis. Digital retinal imaging, a new, noninvasive method to visualize microcirculation in the eye, may reflect vascular conditions in the brain. We studied the association between retinal vessel caliber and neuropsychological functioning in the representative Dunedin birth cohort. Wider venular caliber was associated with poorer neuropsychological functioning at midlife, independently of potentially confounding factors. This association was not limited to any specific test domain and extended to informants' reports of cohort members' cognitive difficulties in everyday life. Moreover, wider venular caliber was associated with lower childhood IQ tested 25 years earlier. The findings indicate that retinal venular caliber may be an indicator of neuropsychological health years before the onset of dementing diseases and suggest that digital retinal imaging may be a useful investigative tool for psychological science. © The Author(s) 2013.
Keywords
brain, cognitive ability, cognitive neuroscience, intelligence, retinal imaging, venular caliber
Source Title
Psychological Science
Publisher
Series/Report No.
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Date
2013-07
DOI
10.1177/0956797612470959
Type
Article