Superficial Retinal Vascular Abnormalities in Schizophrenia as Shown by Swept Source OCT-Angiography: A Preliminary Study

BackgroundAltered microvasculature is central to the pathophysiology of many CNS disorders, but it has received less attention in schizophrenia. Since retinal and cerebral microvessels are homologous in structure/function, the retina can be used as a window into the brain. Studies using fundus imaging in schizophrenia have identified decreased arteriole diameter and tortuosity, as well as increased venule diameter and tortuosity. Herein, we explore the ability of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to identify fine retinal vessel alterations in schizophrenia.MethodsSwept Source OCTA was performed in 24 schizophrenia/schizoaffective and 16 healthy controls. OCTA scans from the superficial vascular plexus was skeletonized to determine vessel density, length, tortuosity and diameter. Subjects had clinical data collected (illness duration, PANSS, YMRS, MADRS, BACS and SFS). Statistical …