Apparatus and Method For Detecting Amyloid In A Retina in a Diagnosis, Advancement, and Prognosing Of Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, macular degeneration and a plurality of Neurodegenerative dissorders, and Ocular Diseases

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and method to produce an image of an eye of a patient that includes an optical head that includes imaging optics, illumination source optics and a camera housing with a perimeter that houses the video camera optics and the illumination source optics, a slit lamp chinrest and joystick assembly that includes an adjustable head support, a movable base, a joystick that adjusts a position of the camera housing relative to the head support and the housing support that mounts the video camera, a rubber eyecup that provides an interface between the camera housing and the patient's eye that protrudes outward from the perimeter and a computer system that analyzes images and data for the presence of amyloid in a retina, and other deposits and provides a diagnosis of macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury, neurodegenerative and other ocular disorders.

1 . An apparatus to produce an image of an eye of a patient, comprising:
 an optical head that includes a digital camera, a plurality of imaging optics, a plurality of illumination source optics and a camera housing with a perimeter that houses said optical head optics and said illumination source optics;   a slit lamp chinrest and joystick assembly that includes an adjustable head support, a movable base, a joystick that adjusts a position of said camera housing relative to said head support and said housing support that mounts said optical head;   a hand-held assembly that includes an optical head and a hand grip for operation;   a rubber eyecup that provides an interface between said camera housing and said patient's eye that protrudes outward from said perimeter to hold eye lids open; and   a computer system that includes a live viewing window that displays a live video, provides a plurality of alignment aids, processes data, and controls said apparatus that is in communication with said optical head and said video camera and said illumination source optics.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said rubber eyecup protrudes at an approximate 10% increase at an approximate 0 degree and an approximate 180 degree position to hold said patient's eye lids open. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said computer system is a compact computer, a smart phone, an embedded computer, or a tablet computer. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said digitized video board collects a plurality of video or digital data and images from said video camera and stores said video and said data to be analyzed and processed into one or more plenoptic images, combining a plurality of in focus elements from a plurality of individual images thereby increasing resolution and image quality. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is utilized in an autofluorescence mode and in combination with one or more contrast agents. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said contrasting agents are selected from the group consisting of curcumin, curcumin derivatives, Thioflavin S and derivatives, Thioflavin T and derivatives, CRANAD 3, Fluorescein, Indocyanine Green, Congo Red and derivatives, methoxy-X04, Pittsburgh CompoundB (PiB), DDNP, Chrysamine-G and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is utilized in combination with one or more components that are selected from the group consisting of a spectrometer, a fluorescence microscope, a stereomicroscope, a mercury arc lamp, a variable wavelength light source, a xenon arc lamp, an LED light, a tunable light source or swept source, a CCD gated camera, a color digital camera, an acoustic-optic tunable filter-based spectral image acquisition system, a plurality of adaptive optics, imaging software and any combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is utilized in combination with optical coherence tomography, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said image displays an amyloid-beta plaque, an amyloid, a drusen, an amyloid containing deposit, or an amyloid-beta peptide. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein said apparatus detects said amyloid-beta plaque, said amyloid, said drusen, said amyloid containing deposit, or said amyloid-beta peptide by a spectral reflectance signature. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus performs a maximum and minimum intensity projection from optical coherence tomography, autofluorescence, curcumin imaging, fluorescein and indocyanine angiography, red-free imaging and multispectral data sets to isolate said amyloid-beta plaque, said amyloid, said drusen, said amyloid containing deposit, or said amyloid-beta peptide. 
     
     
         12 . A method for diagnosing an eye disease in a mammal, comprising:
 administering curcumin, curcumin analogs or other fluorescent dye, probe or marker via oral consumption, topical eye drop, or intravenous injection to said mammal to bind to and stain one or more A[beta] peptides;   imaging said mammal's retina with curcumin fluorescence imaging, autofluorescence, multi-spectral imaging, hyperspectral imaging, Fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography and/or optical coherence tomography;   examining a plurality of data sets from said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing said mammal as having said eye disease if said stained A[beta] peptides, drusen, plaques or deposits are present.   
     
     
         13 . A method for diagnosing an eye disease in a mammal, comprising:
 administering curcumin, curcumin analogs, or other fluorescent dye, probe or marker via oral consumption, topical eye drop, or intravenous injection to said mammal to bind to and stain one or more A[beta] peptides;   imaging said mammal's retina with curcumin fluorescence, autofluorescence, multi-spectral imaging, hyperspectral imaging, Fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography and/or optical coherence tomography; and   quantitating an increase or decrease of said A[beta] peptides in said mammal's retina as compared to a prior diagnosis in combination with a normative disease-state database and rendering a prognosis based upon a level of said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits.   
     
     
         14 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 administering curcumin, curcumin analogs, or other fluorescent dye, probe or marker via oral consumption, topical eye drop, or intravenous injection to said mammal to bind to and stain one or more A[beta] peptides or deposits;   imaging said mammal's retina with curcumin fluorescence, autofluorescence, multi-spectral imaging, hyperspectral imaging, Fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography and/or optical coherence tomography;   examining a plurality of data sets from said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing said mammal as having said disease if said stained A[beta] peptides, drusen, plaques, or deposits are present.   
     
     
         15 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 administering curcumin, curcumin analogs, or other fluorescent dye, probe or marker via oral consumption, topical eye drop, or intravenous injection to said mammal to bind to and stain one or more A[beta] peptides or deposits;   imaging said mammal's retina with curcumin fluorescence, autofluorescence, multi-spectral imaging, hyperspectral imaging, Fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography and/or optical coherence tomography; and   quantitating an increase or decrease of said A[beta] peptides in said mammal's retina as compared to a prior diagnosis in combination with a normative disease-state database and rendering a prognosis based upon a level of said A[beta] peptides.   
     
     
         16 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 imaging said mammal's retina with autofluorescence, multi-spectral imaging, hyperspectral imaging, Fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography and/or optical coherence tomography;   examining and analyzing a plurality of data sets from said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing said mammal as having said disease if said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits are present.   
     
     
         17 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 imaging said mammal's retina with autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography;   examining and analyzing a plurality of data sets from said A[beta] peptides;   analyzing said optical coherence tomography data for location within the retina and determining diagnosis based upon location of amyloid and amyloid containing deposits;   quantitating of the presence of said A[beta] peptides in said mammal's retina as images with autofluorescence and OCT as compared to a prior diagnosis in combination with a normative disease-state database and rendering a prognosis based upon a level of said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing said mammal as having said disease if said A[beta] peptides or deposits are present.   
     
     
         18 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 imaging said mammal's retina with autofluorescence;   examining and analyzing a plurality of images and data sets processed to form plenoptic high-resolution images from data sets thereby identifying said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits;   analyzing said autofluorescence data for confirming diagnosis based upon spectral signature and morphology of amyloid and amyloid containing deposits;   quantitating of the presence of said A[beta] peptides in said mammal's retina as images with autofluorescence as compared to a prior diagnosis in combination with a normative disease-state database and rendering a prognosis based upon a level of said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing said mammal as having said disease if said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits are present.   
     
     
         19 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 imaging said mammal's retina with any combination of imaging modalities including Curcumin imaging, autofluorescence, OCT, hyperspectral imaging, multispectral imaging, fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography, color fundus imaging, red-free imaging;   examining and analyzing a plurality of images and data sets thereby identifying said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits;   analyzing said data for confirming diagnosis based upon spectral signature and morphology of amyloid and amyloid containing deposits;   examining and analyzing a plurality of images and data sets processed to form plenoptic high-resolution images from data sets thereby identifying said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits;   quantitating of the presence of said A[beta] peptides in said mammal's retina as images with autofluorescence as compared to a prior diagnosis in combination with a normative disease state database and rendering a prognosis based upon a level of said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing severity of said disease in said mammal based on the generation of a retina amyloid index comprising information from spectral signature, background reflectance and fluorescence, intensity, raw integrated density, location in retina via OCT, geographic location in one or more specific regions of the retina, morphology, and regional density.   
     
     
         20 . A method for diagnosing an Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury, multiple concussive injury or other neurodegenerative disease in a mammal, comprising:
 imaging said mammal's retina with ICG angiography, fluorescein angiography, color fundus imaging, and red-free imaging;   examining and analyzing a plurality of images and data sets thereby identifying said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits;   examining and analyzing a plurality of images and data sets processed to form plenoptic high-resolution images from data sets thereby identifying said A[beta] peptides, plaques, or deposits;   analyzing said data for confirming diagnosis based upon spectral signature and morphology of amyloid and amyloid containing deposits;   quantitating of the presence of said A[beta] peptides in said mammal's retina as images with ICG angiography as compared to a prior diagnosis in combination with a normative database and rendering a prognosis based upon a level of said A[beta] peptides; and   diagnosing severity of said disease in said mammal based on the generation of a retina amyloid index comprising information from spectral signature, background and deposit, intensity, raw integrated density, location in retina via OCT, geographic location in specific region of the retina, morphology, and regional density.