Retinal Contrast Transfer Functions in Adults with and without ADHD

Abstract

In previous studies, we found a strong reduction in contrast perception and retinal contrast gain in patients with major depression, which normalized after remission of depression. We also identified a possible role of the dopaminergic system in this effect, because visual contrast perception depends on dopaminergic neurotransmission. Dopamine is also known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, in order to explore the specificity of retinal contrast gain as a marker of depression in comparison with other psychiatric diseases, we recorded the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) in patients with ADHD. Twenty patients diagnosed with ADHD and 20 matched healthy subjects were studied. Visual pattern electroretinograms were recorded from both eyes. The contrast gain of the patients with attention deficit disorder (ADD) did not differ from the control group, nor did the contrast gain of any ADHD subgroup (predominantly inattentive or combined patients). In the healthy subjects, a significant correlation between depression score and contrast gain was found. As the contrast gain in an earlier study clearly separated the patients with depression from the controls, we assume that retinal contrast gain might be a specific marker in depression.

Elevated Background Noise in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Is Associated with Inattention

“…Twenty unmedicated patients with ADHD (10 male and 10 female; 33.5±12.5 years of age) were identified at the ADHD program of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital of Freiburg ( Table 1 ). The population is identical to the group of patients reported earlier with respect to PERG-based contrast gain [ 28 ].…”

“…The background noise is markedly higher (138%) in patients with ADHD (red) compared to the controls (blue, p<0.005) and does not depend on stimulus contrast (lines are almost horizontal). This differs from the PERG stimulus response, which we added for comparison as dashed lines (data from [ 26 ]); the PERG response amplitude rises linearly with stimulus contrast.…”

“…This is consistent with previous work on other brain regions like the PFC [ 7 , 25 ]. Recently, we reported unaltered PERG amplitudes to contrast stimuli in unmedicated patients with ADHD compared to controls [ 26 ], this contrasted with reduced signal amplitude in depressed patients [ 27 ]. However, it remains open if background noise or non stimulus-driven neural activity is altered in patients with ADHD rather than signal-related processing.…”

Co-morbidity of depression and anxiety in common age-related eye diseases: a population-based study of 662 adults

“…In addition to indirect effects on mood and anxiety via the impact of vision on function, the relationship may also include direct effects. Recent reports suggest that contrast sensitivity may be reduced in clinically depressed individuals, independent of any effect of mood on self-reported visual function (Bubl et al, 2013), and that even in the non-depressed, greater depressive symptoms are correlated with lower contrast sensitivity (Bubl et al, 2013). The authors further reported that contrast sensitivity normalizes with treatment of depression (Bubl et al, 2012).…”

Auditory/Visual Integration Assessment and Treatment in Brain Injury Rehabilitation

“…In fact, ocular proprioception is a major player in spatial localization and maintaining clear central eyesight [44,45], dovetailing with other research demonstrating that problems after brain injury can affect signaling in the peripheral retina. A recent study found evidence that retinal ganglion cells in the peripheral retina showed more activity in people with attention deficit disorder, as compared to a normal control group [46].…”