Eye-brain connections revealed by multimodal retinal and brain imaging genetics in the UK Biobank.

ABSTRACT: As an anatomical extension of the brain, the retina of the eye is synaptically connected to the visual cortex, establishing physiological connections between the eye and the brain. Despite the unique opportunity retinal structures offer for assessing brain disorders, less is known about their relationship to brain structure and function. Here we present a systematic cross-organ genetic architecture analysis of eye-brain connections using retina and brain imaging endophenotypes. Novel phenotypic and genetic links were identified between retinal imaging biomarkers and brain structure and function measures derived from multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), many of which were involved in the visual pathways, including the primary visual cortex. In 65 genomic regions, retinal imaging bio

SUBMITTER: Zhao B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9949187 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature