Retinal Scan with Optical Coherence Tomography in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder.
• Ocular microstructural changes in adult ADHD are not well-established.
• Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness is a key indicator of optic nerve health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare RNFL thicknesses between adult ADHD cases and healthy controls.
• To investigate potential ocular biomarkers in adult ADHD.

Main Methods:

• Employed Spectral Domain-Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT).
• Included 26 adult ADHD patients and 26 age/gender-matched healthy controls.
• Analyzed RNFL, central macular thickness (CMT), and ganglion cell complex (GCC) parameters.

Main Results:

• Adult ADHD participants exhibited significantly lower RNFL, CMT, and GCC thicknesses compared to controls.
• Specific measurements like mean inner macular ring (MIRAVG) and mean outer macular ring (MOR-AVG) were also reduced in the ADHD group.

Conclusions:

• This is the first study to report reduced RNFL thickness in adult ADHD.
• Lower RNFL thickness in ADHD may be linked to reduced unmyelinated axons.
• SD-OCT measurements show potential as reproducible biomarkers for monitoring ADHD progression.