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Updated: Dec 14, 2025
Retinal Pathophysiological Evaluation in a Rat Model
Published on: May 6, 2022
Retinal Vascular Pathology in a Rat Model of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Heinrich Maximilian Scheifele1,2, Philipp Ulbrich1,2, Cornelia Garz1,2,3
1Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Insights
Early stages of cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVD) are hard to detect. This study shows retinal microvasculature changes in hypertensive rats can predict brain conditions like hypertensive arteriopathy and cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Hypertensive arteriopathy (HA) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) are key forms of sporadic cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVD).
- Early CSVD stages are subclinical and undetectable by routine imaging.
- The retina is a potential marker for early CSVD detection due to its vascular similarities to the brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate retinal microvasculature changes in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats (SHRSP), an animal model for sporadic CSVD.
- To determine if retinal biomarkers can predict the presence and severity of cerebral small vessel diseases.
Main Methods:
- Histological and immunohistochemical examination of brains and retinas from 26 male SHRSP (18-44 weeks).
- Assessment for hypertensive arteriopathy (HA) phenomena (erythrocyte thrombi, perivascular bleeds) and amyloid angiopathy (AA).
- Correlation analysis between retinal findings and cerebral CSVD markers.
Main Results:
- Retinal cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and amyloid angiopathy (AA) correlated significantly with age.
- Brain erythrocyte thrombi severity correlated with retinal erythrocyte thrombi.
- Occurrence of cerebral CAA correlated with retinal AA.
- Retinal small vessel disease (SVD) markers showed good sensitivity in predicting cerebral CSVD markers.
Conclusions:
- Small vessel disease (SVD) affects the retinal microvasculature in SHRSP.
- Retinal biomarkers can potentially predict cerebral erythrocyte thrombi and CAA.
- Retinal investigation is crucial for early diagnosis of CSVD.
Abstract:
Introduction: The initial disease stages of hypertensive arteriopathy (HA) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), the two main forms of sporadic human cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVD), are too subtle to be detectable on clinical routine imaging. Small vessel disease (SVD) is a systemic condition, affecting not only the brain, but also other organs. The retina appears as an ideal marker for the early detection of incipient CSVD. We therefore investigated the retinal microvasculature of the spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat (SHRSP), an animal model of sporadic CSVD. Materials and Methods: The brains and retinas of 26 male SHRSP (18-44 weeks) were examined histologically and immunohistochemically for the presence of HA phenomena (erythrocyte thrombi, small perivascular bleeds) and amyloid angiopathy (AA). Results: CAA and AA in the retina showed a significant correlation with age (CAA: rho = 0.55, p = 0.005; AA: rho = 0.89, p < 0.001). The number of erythrocyte thrombi in the brain correlated with the severity of retinal erythrocyte thrombi (rho = 0.46, p = 0.023), while the occurrence of CAA correlated with the appearance of AA in the retina (rho = 0.51, p = 0.012). Retinal SVD markers predicted CSVD markers with good sensitivity. Conclusions: These results indicate that SVD also occurs in the retinal microvasculature of SHRSP and the prediction of cerebral erythrocyte thrombi and CAA might be possible using retinal biomarkers. This underlines the important role of the investigation of the retina in the early diagnosis of CSVD.
