We are what we eat: nutrition, genes, cognition & deep learning in age-related macular degeneration

We are what we eat: nutrition, genes, cognition & deep learning in age-related macular degeneration
Air date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019, 3:00:00 PM
Category: WALS - Wednesday Afternoon Lectures
Runtime: 00:51:43
Description: NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series
There is a saying that the eyes are the windows into the soul. Dr. Chew's lab is opening this portal even further by incorporating artificial intelligence techniques to better detect and predict the progression of age-related macular degeneration, which affects more than 11 million Americans. The Chew lab also has provided new insights into the interaction of nutrition and genetics in preventing or slowing the onset of blindness.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States and in the developed world. Two NIH-supported randomized clinical trials with 10 years of follow-up in nearly 10,000 participants demonstrated that nutritional supplements with antioxidant vitamins and minerals reduces the risk of progression to late AMD. Dietary data suggest the importance of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of AMD, particularly fish consumption. The analyses of the genetic interactions with nutrition challenges the idea that you can eat away your genetic risk. Nutritional associations with cognitive function were also analyzed in these two cohorts and these data will also be presented. Finally, we are in the era of artificial intelligence. The development of deep-learning techniques to detect and to predict progression of this blinding disease may be vital for both research and, potentially, clinical care.
For more information go to oir.nih.gov/wals
Author: Emily Chew, M.D., National Eye Institute, NIH