TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical and biological correlates of optical coherence tomography findings in schizophrenia
AU - Kurtulmus, A.
AU - Sahbaz, C.
AU - Elbay, A.
AU - Guler, E.M.
AU - Avaroglu, G.S.
AU - Kocyigit, A.
AU - Ozdemir, M.H.
AU - Kirpinar, I.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by Scientific Research Projects Unit of Bezmialem Vakif University (Project ID: 1.2017/37) as a dissertation project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
PY - 2023/4/1
Y1 - 2023/4/1
N2 - There is a growing body of evidence indicating retinal layer thinning in schizophrenia. However, neuropathological processes underlying these retinal structural changes and its clinical correlates are yet to be known. Here, we aim to investigate the clinical and biological correlates of OCT findings in schizophrenia. 50 schizophrenia patients and 40 healthy controls were recruited. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and macular and choroidal thicknesses were recorded. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was applied. Fasting glucose, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol levels, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 levels were measured. Right IPL was significantly thinner in patients than the controls after controlling for various confounders (F = 5.42, p = .02). Higher IL-6, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha levels were associated with decreased left macular thickness (r = - 0.26, p = .027, r = - 0.30, p = 0.012, and r = - 0.24, p = .046, respectively) and higher IL-6 was associated with thinning of right IPL (r = - 0.27, p = 0.023) and left choroid (r = - 0.23, p = .044) in the overall sample. Thinning of right IPL and left macula were also associated with worse executive functioning (r = 0.37, p = 0.004 and r = 0.33, p = 0.009) and attention (r = 0.31, p = 0.018 and r = 0.30, p = 0.025). In patients with schizophrenia, IPL thinning was associated with increased BMI (r = - 0.44, p = 0.009) and decreased HDL levels (r = 0.43, p = 0.021). Decreased TNF-alpha level was related to IPL thinning, especially in the left eye (r = 0.40, p = 0.022). These findings support the hypothesis that OCT might provide the opportunity to establish an accessible and non-invasive probe of brain pathology in schizophrenia and related disorders. However, future studies investigating retinal structural changes as a biological marker for schizophrenia should also consider the metabolic state of the subjects.
AB - There is a growing body of evidence indicating retinal layer thinning in schizophrenia. However, neuropathological processes underlying these retinal structural changes and its clinical correlates are yet to be known. Here, we aim to investigate the clinical and biological correlates of OCT findings in schizophrenia. 50 schizophrenia patients and 40 healthy controls were recruited. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and macular and choroidal thicknesses were recorded. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was applied. Fasting glucose, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol levels, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 levels were measured. Right IPL was significantly thinner in patients than the controls after controlling for various confounders (F = 5.42, p = .02). Higher IL-6, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha levels were associated with decreased left macular thickness (r = - 0.26, p = .027, r = - 0.30, p = 0.012, and r = - 0.24, p = .046, respectively) and higher IL-6 was associated with thinning of right IPL (r = - 0.27, p = 0.023) and left choroid (r = - 0.23, p = .044) in the overall sample. Thinning of right IPL and left macula were also associated with worse executive functioning (r = 0.37, p = 0.004 and r = 0.33, p = 0.009) and attention (r = 0.31, p = 0.018 and r = 0.30, p = 0.025). In patients with schizophrenia, IPL thinning was associated with increased BMI (r = - 0.44, p = 0.009) and decreased HDL levels (r = 0.43, p = 0.021). Decreased TNF-alpha level was related to IPL thinning, especially in the left eye (r = 0.40, p = 0.022). These findings support the hypothesis that OCT might provide the opportunity to establish an accessible and non-invasive probe of brain pathology in schizophrenia and related disorders. However, future studies investigating retinal structural changes as a biological marker for schizophrenia should also consider the metabolic state of the subjects.
KW - Schizophrenia
KW - OCT
KW - Retinal thickness
KW - Cytokine
KW - Cognition
KW - NERVE-FIBER LAYER
KW - COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
KW - RETINAL NEURODEGENERATION
KW - GENETIC-POLYMORPHISM
KW - CYTOKINE ALTERATIONS
KW - BRAIN STRUCTURE
KW - THICKNESS
KW - METAANALYSIS
KW - ASSOCIATION
KW - ABNORMALITIES
U2 - 10.1007/s00406-023-01587-w
DO - 10.1007/s00406-023-01587-w
M3 - Article
C2 - 37022475
SN - 0940-1334
VL - 273
SP - 1837
EP - 1850
JO - European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
JF - European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
IS - 8
ER -