Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in bipolar disorder

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition affecting mood and behavior.
• Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) is a potential biomarker for neurodegeneration.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique to measure RNFLT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare peripapillary RNFLT in bipolar disorder patients versus controls using OCT.
• To investigate the relationship between RNFLT and clinical variables in bipolar disorder.

Main Methods:

• A prospective comparative case series involving 30 bipolar disorder patients and 30 healthy controls.
• Peripapillary RNFLT was measured using OCT in four quadrants and overall mean.
• Clinical variables including disease duration were assessed in the patient group.

Main Results:

• Mean RNFLT was significantly lower in bipolar disorder patients (99±8 μm) than in controls (106±8 μm).
• Inferior, superior, and nasal RNFLT were significantly reduced in bipolar disorder patients.
• Disease duration was the only clinical variable significantly correlated with reduced RNFLT.

Conclusions:

• Bipolar disorder is associated with reduced peripapillary RNFLT.
• RNFLT may serve as a biomarker for neurodegenerative changes and disease progression in bipolar disorder.