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Retinal Imaging Offers New Hope for Early Schizophrenia Detection
In a new study led by the University of Zurich, researchers have found that genetic risk factors for schizophrenia can be detected by examining the retina. This discovery could revolutionise early diagnosis and preventative care for the mental health disorder.
The research team, which included experts from the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, tapped into extensive genetic and retinal data from the UK Biobank — a biomedical database comprising information from over half a million participants. By calculating polygenic risk scores for tens of thousands of healthy individuals, they demonstrated a clear link between higher genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia and a thinner retina.
“To investigate whether the risk of developing schizophrenia has an effect on the central nervous system, we examined tens of thousands of healthy individuals,” says Finn Rabe, first author of the study and postdoc at the University of Zurich. “We then calculated polygenic risk scores for each individual. You could say that the scale of the UK Biobank’s data has revolutionized biomedical research,” the researcher adds.
Beyond early detection, the study also uncovered a potential link between genetic markers associated with brain inflammation and retinal thinning, lending weight to the "inflammation hypothesis" of schizophrenia. If inflammatory processes are proven to contribute to the disorder, new therapies targeting inflammation could be developed, potentially improving outcomes for millions worldwide.
“If this hypothesis is confirmed, inflammation could be interrupted by medication, potentially enabling us to improve treatment possibilities in the future,” says Rabe.
The findings offer fresh optimism in precision medicine, where genetic data increasingly informs clinical decision-making. For mental health practitioners, diagnostic developers, and biotech firms, this research points to a future where a simple eye scan could aid in identifying individuals at elevated risk, well before symptoms emerge.
The research is published in Nature Mental Health.