This news deals with issues related to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Supposedly, these disorders are said to be developed in around tens of millions of people worldwide.
Neither schizophrenia nor bipolar disorder appears to have an objective biological marker that may be applied to make identifications or to steer treatment. The findings of the study seems to propose that electroretinography (ERG), a dedicated measure of retinal function could be a functional biomarker of danger for these disorders, and retinal deficits may add to the perceptual issues related to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Since the past numerous years, research seems to have proposed that cognitive damages in schizophrenia could be associated with initial stages of visual perception. This work is apparently now focusing on the role of the retina, the constituent of the eye that appears to spot light.
In the retina, rods are said to be light sensors that may react to black and white, but not to color. Rods are chiefly significant for sustaining vision under conditions of low light and for identifying stimuli at the margin of vision. Cones are thought to be light sensors that seem to recognize color and identify stimuli at the center of vision.
By means of ERG, Canadian scientists Marc Hebert, Michel Maziade and their colleagues apparently noted that the capability of light to trigger rods appeared to be considerably decreased in existing fit people who descended from multi-generational families that have had members identified with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. On the contrary, the reaction of their cones to light appeared to be standard.
Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, commented, “We take for granted that other people experience the world in the same way that we do. It is important to appreciate that for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as for colorblindness or selective hearing loss, people who appear to perceive the world normally may actually have subtle but important problems with perception, which may contribute to other adaptive impairments.â€
Apparently, researchers are still looking out for an applicable biomarker for the genetic danger of developing schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Even though the existing data seems to be appealing, widespread examinations may be required prior to the value of this measure as a risk biomarker may be assessed.
The findings appeared in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier.