Along with elevated vascular amyloid deposits, retinal blood vessel cells had reduced LRP-1 expression and retinal pericytes showed elevated apoptotic biomarkers (cleaved caspase-3 and TUNEL), suggesting that vascular retinal pericytes undergo apoptosis and may have impaired LRP-1-mediated Aβ clearance in the AD retina. Here, CASP3 is linked to Alzheimer disease.