Review: emerging oculomics based diagnostic technologies for traumatic brain injury

Harris, G., Rickard, J. J. S., Butt, G., Kelleher, L., Blanch, R., Cooper, J. and Goldberg Oppenheimer, P. (2023) Review: emerging oculomics based diagnostic technologies for traumatic brain injury. IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering, 16, pp. 530-559. (doi: 10.1109/RBME.2022.3161352) (PMID:35320105)

Abstract

The study of ocular manifestations of neurodegenerative disorders, Oculomics, is a growing field of investigation for early diagnostics, enabling structural and chemical biomarkers to be monitored overtime to predict prognosis. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers cascade of events harmful to the brain, which can lead to neurodegeneration. TBI, termed the silent epidemic is becoming a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. There is currently no effective diagnostic tool for TBI, and yet, early-intervention is known to considerably shorten hospital stays, improve outcomes, fasten neurological recovery and lower mortality rates, highlighting the unmet need for techniques capable of rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostics, implemented in the earliest stages. This review focuses on the latest advances in the main neuropathophysiological responses and the achievements and shortfalls of TBI diagnostic methods. Validated and emerging TBI-indicative biomarkers are outlined and linked to ocular neuro-disorders. Methods detecting structural and chemical ocular responses to TBI are categorised along with prospective chemical and physical sensing techniques. Particular attention is drawn to the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a non-invasive sensing of neurological molecular signatures in the ocular projections of the brain, laying the platform for the first tangible path towards alternative point-of-care diagnostic technologies for TBI.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We acknowledge funding from the Wellcome Trust (174ISSFPP), the Royal Academy of Engineering (RF1415\14\28), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTLX-1000098511) and the EPSRC (EP/V029983/1). P.G.O. is a Royal Academy of Engineering Research (RAEng) Fellowship holder.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Cooper, Professor Jonathan
• Authors: Harris, G., Rickard, J. J. S., Butt, G., Kelleher, L., Blanch, R., Cooper, J., and Goldberg Oppenheimer, P.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
• Publisher: IEEE
• ISSN: 1937-3333
• ISSN (Online): 1941-1189
• Published Online: 23 March 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering 16: 530-559
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons Licence