Morphological characterization of retinal development from birth to adulthood via retinal thickness assessment in...

The morphology and thickness of the retinal layers are valuable biomarkers for retinal health and development. The retinal layers in mice are similar to those in humans; thus, a mouse is appropriate for studying the retina. The objectives of this systematic review were: (1) to describe normal retinal morphology quantitatively using retinal layer thickness measured from birth to age 6 months in healthy mice; and (2) to describe morphological changes in physiological retinal development over time using the longitudinal (in vivo) and cross-sectional (ex vivo) data from the included studies. A PubMed search was conducted for articles published from to 1980-2024 that included quantitative data. Prior to sexual maturity, an increase in the total retinal and inner plexiform layer thicknesses were observed, with a decrease in the inner nuclear layer thickness. After sexual maturity, an asymptotic decrease in thickness was observed up to age 6 months in all layers; during this period, no significant changes were observed in the outer nuclear layer or nerve fiber layer/ganglion cell layer complex. Potential sources of variability and inconsistency among the studies included differences in imaging modality, animal strain, measurement timing, and retinal segmentation/assignment techniques. These findings highlight the importance of including a control group in experimental designs and providing comparative data for further investigations.