Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Neuropsychiatry

Background: There is strong evidence that deficits in visual perception and early visual processing are associated with schizophrenia. These deficits include retinal venule widening, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning, dopaminergic abnormalities, abnormal output of retinal cells as measured by electroretinography (ERG). On the other hand, the retina is considered a window to the brain and it provides a good model for the study of neuronal pathology, since it lacks myelin. This means that any changes in the RNFL will reflect axonal damage. Aim of the study: To compare retinal microvessels in patients with schizophrenia to normal individuals using retinal fundus photography. To detect structural changes in the retinal layers of patients with schizophrenia in vivo using Spectral Domain-Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT). Also, to relate retinal microvascular measures and OCT parameters to the severity of symptoms and clinical variables in schizophrenia. Methods: 30 patients with schizophrenia were recruited from Psychiatry and Addiction Hospital Kasr Al-Ainy inpatient wards and 30 healthy controls, matched in age, gender and educational level to the patients{u2019} group, were recruited from other departments of Kasr AL-Ainy hospitals. They were assessed regarding retinal fundus photography and OCT. In the patients group PANSS scale was used to assess the severity of symptoms. Results: Schizophrenic patients showed a statistically significant reduction in the average peripapillary RNFL thickness when compared to controls

Issued also as CD