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Your eyes could reveal Alzheimer's: new study uses retinal imaging to spot brain disease

NCT ID NCT03233646

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Duke University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study uses non-invasive eye scans (OCT and OCTA) to look for changes in the retina that might be linked to brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis. Researchers aim to find early markers that could help diagnose or track these conditions. The study will include 2,000 adults with and without neurodegenerative diseases.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this could lead to a simple, non-invasive eye test to help diagnose or monitor brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's earlier.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It may not find reliable biomarkers, and results may not apply to all patients or stages of disease.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 2,000 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2017

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Neurology Clinics and the community.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults with neurodegenerative disease ((MCI, PD, AD, FTD, DLB, ALS, MS, HD, TBI, concussion, PTSD and other neurodegenerations as well as Down Syndrome) * Adults without neurodegenerative disease Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to cooperate with or complete testing or other neurologic or age- related ocular conditions that would impact image acquisition. * Eyes that have had intraocular surgery, other than cataract surgery. If two eyes satisfy the inclusion criteria, both eyes will be included in the study. If one eye satisfies the inclusion criteria, the eye that qualifies will be included in the study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Brain Concussion Brain Injuries, Traumatic Cognitive Dysfunction Down syndrome frontotemporal dementia Huntington disease Lewy body dementia Lewy Body Disease multiple sclerosis neurodegenerative disease Parkinson disease post-traumatic stress disorder traumatic brain injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alzheimer's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS Apoe-4 positive Concussion Down syndrome Frontotemporal dementia Huntington disease Lewy body dementia Mild cognitive impairment Multiple sclerosis Neuro-degenerative disease Normal cognition Parkinson's disease Post-traumatic stress disorder Traumatic brain injury

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Duke University Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States

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