Abstract
Abstract Objective The retina may provide a unique window into brain structure and function as an accessible part of the central nervous system. Abnormalities in retinal cell structure and function have been associated with brain pathology (e.g., brain volume loss, cognitive impairment) in several neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g., MS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease). A number of prior studies using flash electroretinography (fERG) have reported reduced retinal cell activity in schizophrenia (SZ). Impairments in cognitive functioning are a core feature of SZ and deficits in executive control processes involving prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity are strong predictors of functional capacity. This study examined whether retinal cell functioning is related to brain function, as indexed by cognitive function, in SZ, and if these relationships were stronger in particular domains (e.g., PFC dependent functions vs. less PFC dependent functions). Method Twenty-six SZ participants and 24 healthy controls (HC) completed fERG and cognitive testing. fERG measurements included a-wave (photoreceptor cells), b-wave (bipolar-Müller cells), and oscillatory potential (OP; amacrine cells) amplitudes and implicit times. Cognitive tests assessed executive control processes (i.e., attention/processing speed, behavior initiation, response inhibition, working memory), and non-executive control processes (i.e., emotion recognition/discrimination). Results In the HC group, a-wave amplitude was correlated with cognitive test scores and OP amplitude was related to cognitive performance in the SZ group. However, overall, retinal cell activity did not appear to be strongly related to scores on cognitive tasks, regardless of whether or not they involved frontal brain regions. Conclusion Impairments in retinal and cognitive functioning may reflect distinct disease mechanisms in schizophrenia.
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