A review finds reduced corneal nerve measures in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Original source
Corneal confocal microscopy as a paraclinical test in neurodegenerative disease: a scoping review. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Studied in
- Human
A scoping review found that corneal nerve fibre length and corneal nerve fibre density were reduced in studies of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The review included four ALS studies within 50 studies of neurodegenerative diseases and assessed corneal confocal microscopy as a possible objective biomarker. The findings do not establish that this test can diagnose or monitor ALS in clinical practice.
Why this matters
Corneal confocal microscopy is non-invasive and could eventually provide an additional measure of neurodegeneration in ALS. However, this evidence is not a treatment result and does not currently change care for people living with ALS. The review said the strongest evidence was in Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, not ALS.
Limitations and context
This was a scoping review with a narrative synthesis, not a new clinical trial. Only four included studies concerned ALS, and the studies varied in imaging methods, analysis software and design. The authors said standardised protocols and further validation are needed before wider clinical use.