Retina to inform Aussie autism research

The research, which is supported by a US$50,000 (AU$62,710) donation from the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, will investigate the incidence of reduced light adapted electro-retinogram (ERG) b-wave amplitude in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).FU optometrist and senior lecturer Dr Paul Constable is overseeing the project, after being inspired by his son, who was diagnosed with ASD at the age of three.{{quote-a:r-w:425-I:2-Q: We hope to see if the retinal responses can tell us about the way the brain has developed in autism. -WHO: Dr Paul Constable, Flinders University}}According to Constable, the new research data will provide a platform to further study the mechanism for reduced b-waves in ASD, and related neurological disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. He believes the retina may have a different sensitivity to light in autism because it and the brain develop together.“We hope to see if the retinal responses can tell us about the way the brain has developed in autism,” Constable said.“The main aim of this study is to further our understanding of the incidence of the reduced b-wave amplitude in children with a diagnosis of ASD and to relate these findings to similar neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions in which the ERG waveform also shows differences between affected and normal individuals.”The project, being conducted jointly with the Yale Child Study Center and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, will analyse the ‘daylight’ or photopic light responses in a large cohort of children diagnosed with ASD and compare it with normative databases in age-matched typical children.By doing this, it is hoped the researchers will be able to further define the incidence of atypical b-waves in ASD in a larger population than has been previously studied.“Our multi-centre study in the US, London and Flinders Vision will provide a measure of retinal sensitivity to light that might inform our understanding of hypersensitivities to light that is prevalent in ASD,” Constable explained.“We hope the findings will help in diagnosis of ASD and could be used to monitor any medications that may be acting on the brain. It should also help with our understanding of related neurological disorders and some of the underlying genetics.”ASD affects an estimated 240,000 Australians, equivalent to around 1% of the population.