Journal article
Retinal microvessels reflect familial vulnerability to psychotic symptoms: A comparison of twins discordant for psychotic symptoms and controls
MH Meier, NA Gillespie, NK Hansell, AW Hewitt, IB Hickie, Y Lu, J McGrath, S MacGregor, SE Medland, C Sun, TY Wong, MJ Wright, G Zhu, NG Martin, DA Mackey
Schizophrenia Research | Published : 2015
Abstract
Mounting evidence suggests that individuals with schizophrenia have an underlying vulnerability to cardiovascular disease, and a recent study suggested that this vulnerability might be reflected in the retinal microvasculature. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the retinal microvessels reflect familial vulnerability to psychotic symptoms. Participants were 531 adolescent and young adult twins who took part in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study and the Twins Eye Study in Tasmania. The twins had photographs taken of their retina when they were adolescents or young adults (M age = 20.6 years), and retinal vessel diameter was assessed using computer software. The twins ..
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Awarded by National Institute on Drug Abuse
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the Australian Research Council (ARC); the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC 950998, 981339 to NM, 1021105 to DM); Beyond Blue, Australia; and by the United States National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA023549). We also thank the following organizations for their financial support: Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust, Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia (ORIA), American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), Peggy and Leslie Cranbourne Foundation, Foundation for Children, and NEI Project Grant (EY018246).