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International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience
Apr, 2025;85 (2): e70013.

Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness, Mak��ler Thickness and Macular Volume in Children With Intellectual Disability.

Umut Karaaslan, Hatice Altun, Ay��eg��l ����mez
Author Information
  1. Umut Karaaslan: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Iskenderun State Hospital, ��skenderun, Hatay, Turkey. ORCID
  2. Hatice Altun: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmara��, Turkey. ORCID
  3. Ay��eg��l ����mez: Department of Opthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmara��, Turkey. ORCID
PMID: 40143513 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.70013

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: It was aimed to investigate retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, macular thickness and macular volume and the relationship between these parameters and the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R) in children with intellectual disability (ID).
METHODS: The study included 41 (27 male and 14 female) patients of ages 7-18 who were diagnosed with ID and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (24 male and 17 female). WISC-R intelligence test was applied with all the participants, and the parents were asked to fill out a Sociodemographic Data Form and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The RNFL, macular thickness and macular volume were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT).
RESULTS: The RNFL was lower in all the quadrants (nasal, temporal, superior and inferior) in the patient group, but this thinness was not statistically significant in comparison to the control group. The left eye central macular and lest eye mean macular thicknesses were significantly lower in the patient group (respectively, p���=���0.030, p���=���0.048). Though not statistically significant, other all macular thickness and volume values were lower in the patient group in comparison to the control group. In the patient group, a weak negative correlation was observed between the performance subscore of the WISC-R and the RNFL values of the right eye inferior quadrant, as well as the left eye inferior and temporal quadrants (respectively, r���=���-0.329, p���=���0.036; r���=���-0.308, p���=���0.050; r���=���-0.309, p���=���0.050). Additionally, a weak negative correlation was found between the total WISC-R scores and the RNFL values of the left eye temporal quadrant (r���=���-0.318, p���=���0.043).
CONCLUSION: This study suggests that macular thickness are reduced in ID patients but show no statistically significant changes in the RNFL. Lower macular thickness may potentially be linked to the brain abnormalities seen in ID, given the shared developmental origin of the retina and central nervous system. Further studies are needed to determine the potential application of OCT as a tool for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of this disease.

Keywords

intellectual disability macular thickness macular volume optical coherence tomography retinal nerve fibre layer

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MeSH Term

Retinal Neurons
Nerve Fibers
Case-Control Studies
Retina
Humans
Male
Female
Child
Adolescent
Intellectual Disability
Macula Lutea
Tomography, Optical Coherence
Journal Article

Word Cloud

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