BRAIN AND EYE AS POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR IONIZING RADIATION IMPACT. PART III / FEATURES MORPHOMETRIC RETINAL...

Area of Science:

• Radiobiology
• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Assessing long-term radiation effects on developing organisms is crucial in radiobiology.
• Previous studies indicated accelerated radiation-induced damage in the eye and brain at specific developmental stages.
• Intrauterine irradiation poses unique risks, necessitating studies on individuals exposed in utero.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate retinal morphometric parameters in individuals irradiated in utero.
• To assess the amplitude and latency of evoked visual potentials in this cohort.
• To determine the long-term impact of intrauterine radiation exposure on the visual system.

Main Methods:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to measure retinal thickness.
• Visual evoked potentials (VEP) were recorded using a reversible chess pattern stimulus.
• The study included 16 individuals irradiated in utero from the Chornobyl disaster and 25 age-matched controls.

Main Results:

• Increased retinal thickness in the fovea and surrounding areas was observed in the intrauterine irradiated group.
• A tendency towards decreased amplitudes of VEP components (N75, P100, N145, P200) was noted.
• Asymmetric changes in the latency of VEP components were also identified.

Conclusions:

• Early foveal changes detected by OCT and reduced VEP amplitudes suggest a heightened risk.
• Individuals irradiated in utero may face an increased risk of early age-related macular degeneration.
• These findings highlight potential long-term risks to the visual analyzer structures.