Retinal electrophysiology in mood disorders: Toward clinically relevant biomarkers. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Marie de Deus, Chloé Déom, Mélissa Fenot et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined retinal electrophysiology, specifically Electroretinography (ERG), in mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). The analysis included 32 studies with 1334 participants, revealing that MDD is associated with a significant prolongation of b-wave implicit time under mixed scotopic conditions (g = 0.23, 95% CI 0.00-0.46), indicating potential for ERG as a biomarker for mood disorders.
Key findings
- MDD showed a significant prolongation of b-wave implicit time under mixed scotopic conditions (g = 0.23, 95% CI 0.00-0.46).
- Mood disorders were generally associated with reduced ERG amplitudes and prolonged implicit times.
- BD and seasonal affective disorder studies indicated mood-state-dependent retinal alterations.
- High-risk offspring exhibited ERG abnormalities linked to subclinical and cognitive features.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that retinal electrophysiology may serve as an objective biomarker for mood disorders, potentially improving early detection and diagnostic accuracy, which is crucial given the high rates of misdiagnosis in these conditions.