biostudies-literatureUnknown54(3)Friedel EBNUniversitätsklinikum FreiburgSince the retina shares its embryological origin with the central nervous system, optical coherence tomography (OCT), an imaging technique frequently employed in ophthalmology to analyze the macula and intraretinal layer thicknesses and volumes, has recently become increasingly important in psychiatric research. We examined 34 autistic and 31 neurotypical adults (NT) using OCT. Autistic adults had reduced overall macular and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and volume compared to NT. Both macular and ONL thickness showed significant inverse associations with the severity of autistic symptoms measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS-2). Longitudinal studies across different age groups are required to clarify whether retinal changes may represent a possible trait marker.Journal of autism and developmental disorders1143-1156https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10907434biostudies-literatureRetinal Thinning in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.PMC10907434Lagreze WAKornmeier JEbert DReich MSchafer MMaier SDomschke KKuchlin SRunge KEndres DNickel KFriedel EBNTebartz van Elst LfalseRetinal Thinning in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Since the retina shares its embryological origin with the central nervous system, optical coherence tomography (OCT), an imaging technique frequently employed in ophthalmology to analyze the macula and intraretinal layer thicknesses and volumes, has recently become increasingly important in psychiatric research. We examined 34 autistic and 31 neurotypical adults (NT) using OCT. Autistic adults had reduced overall macular and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and volume compared to NT. Both macular and ONL thickness showed significant inverse associations with the severity of autistic symptoms measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS-2). Longitudinal studies across different age groups are required to clarify whether retinal changes may represent a possible trait marker.2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Mar2025-04-04T20:40:49.002Z2025-04-04T20:40:49.002ZS-EPMC109074343655033110.1007/s10803-022-05882-8