Retinal Blood Vessels: Potential Markers of Intelligence
In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers at Duke University have found that the width of the blood vessels located at the back of the eye may predict how many years it may take before the brain develops cognitive problems that may lead to dementia and other mental illnesses.
Headed by Idan Shalev, a psychological scientist at Duke University, the researchers examined the data of over 1,000 people born between 1972 and 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand, taking part in a longitudinal study on health and behaviour. Using a relatively new, non-invasive technology called retinal imaging; they peeked into the brain’s vascular conditions of the participants through the small blood vessels of the retina that are located at the back of their eyes. According to the researchers, the retinal blood vessels have the same size, structure and function with the blood vessels in the brain and therefore, can provide a way of examining brain health in humans.
They found that having wider retinal venules was linked to a lower IQ score at the age of 38, even after taking into account various factors, including health, lifestyle and environment. What’s more surprising is that these people were also found to have low IQs during childhood. In general, those with wider retinal venules demonstrated cognitive deficits, performing low in various mental functions, such as verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and executive and neuropsychological functioning.
According to the researchers, their study suggest that the processes linking vascular health and cognitive function begin much earlier than previously assumed, years before the onset of dementia and other forms of age-related mental decline. Shalev notes that retinal imaging is currently used to study diseases in the eye, but their study suggests that it can also be used as an investigative tool for psychological scientists who are looking to study the relationship between intelligence and brain health across the lifespan.
These findings may enable scientists to develop better diagnostic procedures and treatments to increase the oxygen in the brain and prevent age-related mental decline, he adds.
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