Recruiting

OCTUtility and Applicability of Optical Coherence Tomography in Neurological Diseases

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Study Aim

This observational study aims to compare the annual rate of thinning in specific layers of the retina, as measured by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), in patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's Disease, and Parkinson's Disease against healthy controls.

What is being collected

Device Data

+ device Data

+ device Data

Collected from today forward - Prospective
Device
Who is being recruted

Synucleinopathies+23

+ Autoimmune Diseases

+ Basal Ganglia Diseases

Over 18 Years
+10 Eligibility Criteria
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Case-Control

Comparing exposures between individuals with and without disease in order to identify potential risk factors.
Observational
Study Start: October 2023
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorIRCCS San Raffaele
Study ContactFederica Agosta, MDMore contacts
Last updated: July 22, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: October 9, 2023

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

The retina and optic nerve share the same embryological origins as the central nervous system (CNS). Several neurological diseases - including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) - involve the visual system at both pre-chiasmatic (neuro-retina, optic nerve) and post-chiasmatic levels (optic tracts, optic radiations, primary visual cortex). In MS, optic neuritis is one of the most frequent manifestations and can lead to optic nerve damage with retinal nerve fiber degeneration. In neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and PD, degeneration of retinal ganglion cells has been demonstrated. In AD, longitudinal observational studies have shown accelerated RNFL thinning over time compared to age-matched healthy controls, suggesting that neuro-retinal thinning in neurodegeneration reflects underlying neurodegenerative processes independent of normal aging. Spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive, highly reproducible technique providing automated, high-resolution information on the thickness of individual retinal layers, including the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), the ganglion cell layer (GCL), and the inner plexiform layer (IPL). OCT could represent a reliable, reproducible, and economically accessible tool for the diagnostic workup and monitoring of neurological diseases. The device used is the Heidelberg SPECTRALIS HRA+OCT (Class IIa CE-marked medical device), operated according to the manufacturer's instructions and indications for use. The device is used according to its approved clinical indication for visualization of the posterior segment of the eye and retinal anatomy measurement. Study design: monocentric, prospective, observational cohort study. Patients are recruited from the neurology outpatient clinics and inpatient wards of IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital. OCT is performed at baseline (T0) and at follow-up visits at 6, 12, 18, and/or 24 months. Ophthalmological evaluation may be requested at the investigators' discretion to exclude concurrent ocular pathology. Three age subgroups are analyzed for all disease groups and controls: 20-40 years, 40-60 years, and over 60 years. Statistical analyses include: descriptive statistics and ANOVA models (or non-parametric tests) for between-group comparisons at baseline; linear mixed-effects models for longitudinal changes over time; generalized estimating equations (GEE) when data from both eyes are considered; Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses between OCT measures and clinical, neuroimaging, and biological markers (EDSS for MS; UPDRS for PD; neuropsychological battery for AD; brain MRI, PET, and CSF biomarkers for migraine/headache).

Principal SponsorIRCCS San Raffaele
Study ContactFederica Agosta, MDMore contacts
Last updated: July 22, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

1050 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Case-Control

These studies compare people who have a disease (cases) with those who don't (controls). The goal is to look back at previous exposures or risk factors to identify what might have contributed to the disease.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Over 18 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

SynucleinopathiesAutoimmune DiseasesBasal Ganglia DiseasesMental DisordersBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesDementiaDemyelinating DiseasesImmune System DiseasesMovement DisordersNervous System DiseasesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsNeurodegenerative DiseasesNeurocognitive DisordersAutoimmune Diseases of the Nervous SystemDemyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNSParkinsonian DisordersTauopathiesHeadache Disorders, PrimaryAlzheimer DiseaseMigraine DisordersMultiple SclerosisNerve DegenerationParkinson DiseaseHeadache Disorders

Criteria

5 inclusion criteria required to participate
Absence of neurological disease

Diagnosis of a Central Nervous System neurological disease (inflammatory diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis; neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; migraine/headache) according to currently accepted diagnostic criteria for each condition

Age greater than 18 years

Willingness and ability to undergo all study visits and procedures

Show More Criteria

5 exclusion criteria prevent from participating
For specific imaging modes using clearly visible light sources (MultiColor, FA, BAF): diagnosis of epilepsy or history of previous epileptic seizures

Inability to understand instructions given by investigators

Presence of any condition that, in the investigators' opinion, renders the subject unsuitable for the study

Refusal to participate or withdrawal of informed consent

Show More Criteria

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

5 intervention groups are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Recruiting

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele - Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit

Milan, ItalyOpen IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele - Neurology and Neurophysiology Unit in Google Maps
Recruiting
One Study Center