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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1495017

Molecular physiology unlocks the mystery that relates cognitive impairment with the retina in Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders: A Perspective review

Provisionally accepted
Sarah Al-Mazidi Sarah Al-Mazidi 1,2*
  • 1 Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Schizophrenia and Autism spectrum disorders (SSD and ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders involving cognitive impairment. Timely diagnosis is important for early intervention; currently, no tools are available to help with early diagnosis. Molecular biomarkers of cognitive impairment have been extensively studied, but clinical correlation is crucial in screening for cognitive impairment in SSD and ASD. There has been growing interest in examining the retina to scan for neurological disorders since the retina is the only part of the central nervous system that can be directly imaged non-invasively and in a timely manner. This review discusses biomarkers of cognitive impairment and their correlation to the retina in SSD and ASD. It also discusses the possible involvement of the retina and molecular biomarkers, specifically Disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in the pathophysiology of SSD and ASD. A protocol for early diagnosing cognitive impairment and its severity in SSD and ASD is also suggested. This review also mentions insights into the potential use of molecular biomarkers of cognitive impairment to enhance cognitive performance in ASD and SSD and areas where more research is needed to solve the mystery of the relationship between the retina and cognitive impairment in neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders.

    Keywords: Autism (ASC), Schitzophrenia, Cognition, Retina, OCT, biomarkers

    Received: 11 Sep 2024; Accepted: 21 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Al-Mazidi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sarah Al-Mazidi, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.