Director, Unit for Neurovisual Disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital
Shirley Wray has been called a neurologist with a vision. She draws from her expertise in neuro-ophthalmology and neurology to study how the pupil’s reflexive response to light might be used to monitor and diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. The same characteristic protein deposits that build up in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease are also found in the retina. This buildup causes cells involved in the pupillary light reflex to die. Abnormal pupillary reflexes may be an inexpensive and noninvasive measure of Alzheimer’s disease.