SCIENTIFIC HUB

Follow the evidence.

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE · MED

The pattern of the inferocentral whorl region of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus is altered with age.

Ocul Surf · 2021-08-25

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2021.08.015PMID: 34450219

Check source for accessResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Journal ArticleOriginal source ↗

Research overview

The text below is the source article’s original abstract under a verified reuse license. cc by

PurposeTo describe the pattern of the nerves in the inferocentral whorl region of the human corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SBNP) in health and diseases known to affect the subbasal nerves.MethodsLaser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) was used to image the SBNP bilaterally in 91 healthy subjects, 39 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and 43 subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD). Whorl regions were classified according to nerve orientation relative to age and health/disease status.ResultsOf 346 examined eyes, 300 (86.7%) had an identifiable whorl pattern. In healthy subjects, a clockwise nerve orientation of the whorl was most common (67.9%), followed by non-rotatory or 'seam' morphology (21.4%), and counterclockwise (10.7%). The clockwise orientation was more prevalent in healthy subjects than in T2DM or PD (P ConclusionSubbasal nerves in the inferocentral whorl region are predominantly clockwise in young, healthy corneas. With aging and conditions of T2DM and PD, counterclockwise and non-rotatory configurations increase in prevalence, and bilateral symmetry is lost. Mechanisms regulating these changes warrant further investigation.

Scientific assessment

01

Research question

Assess the question within the original study’s scope.

02

Methods & sample

Check the source article for study design and sample details.

03

Key findings

An editorially approved findings summary is not yet published for this record.

04

Limitations

Generalizability, bias and clinical meaning require separate assessment.

Methods, samples and clinical conclusions are not inferred from bibliographic metadata.