# Retinal Vasculature in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

## TL;DR

This study found reduced retinal blood vessel density in the optic nerve head of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, suggesting possible vascular changes linked to the condition.

## Contribution

The study identifies a specific vascular abnormality in the temporal region of the optic nerve head in schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

## Key findings

- SSD participants showed significantly decreased vessel density in the temporal region of the optic nerve head.
- Reduced vessel density was observed in younger SSD patients compared to controls.
- No significant differences were found in macular vessel density or foveal avascular zone metrics.

## Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine whether retinal vasculatures differ between participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and controls. Ninety participants (51 SSD, mean age 35.8 ± 13.5, and 39 controls, mean age 35.5 ± 11.4) underwent 3 × 3 mm2 macular and 6 × 6 mm2 optic nerve head (ONH) optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) scans. En face macula and ONH region images were divided into quadrants, binarized, and then skeletonized. Skeletonized vessel densities were compared between our two groups. Additionally, the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) size and acircularity index were compared between the two groups. There was significantly decreased vessel density in the temporal region of the ONH in the SSD group compared to controls (p = 0.033). Interestingly, the decreased vessel density was already present in patients with SSD in younger adulthood as compared to the controls (p = 0.006). There were no significant group differences in vessel density in any other region of the ONH, the ONH overall, any region of the macula, or the macula overall. There were also no significant group differences in the FAZ size or acircularity index. These data suggest there may be abnormal peripapillary retinal vasculature in patients with SSD. Whether this is a specific ocular vascular deficit or related to more systemic vascular abnormalities in SSD remains to be determined.