Variation of Structures and Blood Vessels of Visual Nervous System With Age

Abstract

Aging is a process of progressive functional decline associated with increasing age. The process and mechanism of aging have long been widely concerned, but long-term in vivo evaluations of the visual nervous system have not been previously reported. In this study, naturally aging mouse models were used for long-term serial evaluation, and the changes in structure and blood flow of the retina and cerebral cortex were systematically analyzed. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) were performed on mice at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age, respectively. Structural and vascular changes with age were quantitatively evaluated. Results show that the reduction of structural thickness and vascular density of the retinal and cerebral cortex is observed. A significant correlation is also found between structural and vascular changes in the retina and cerebral cortex, indicating a consistent impact of aging on the visual nervous system.