Different Levels Of Physical Activity Are Associated With Retinal Thickness In Adolescents With Neurodevelopmental Disorders

PURPOSE: To determine the association of different levels of device-measured physical activity (PA) with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) metrics of retinal characteristics in adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. METHODS: The participants were 75 adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 46) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 29). They wore accelerometers on non-dominant wrist for seven days and underwent retinal evaluation using SD-OCT. Intensity levels of PA, including light (LPA), moderate (MPA), moderate to vigorous (MVPA), and vigorous (VPA), as well as the eye characteristics, including retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, rim area, disc area, and cup volume, were assessed. Generalized estimating equations was used for data analysis. RESULTS: After adjusting the model with potential confounders, including cardiovascular variables and salivary cortisol level, in adolescents with ADHD, VPA was related to thicker RNFL (β =1.2, p < 0.001) and inner region of the retina in nasal (β = 1.38, p = 0.005), inferior (β = 1.4, p = 0.0003), and temporal areas (β = 1.2, p = 0.041). In adolescents with ASD, LPA (β = -0.056, p = 0.011), MPA (β = -0.15, p = 0.047), and MVPA (β = -0.21, p = 0.008) were associated with thinner inferior RNFL. LPA was also associated with thicker central retinal thickness (β = 0.11, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: VPA was positively associated with RNFL thickness in adolescents with ADHD. LPA was positively related to central retinal thickness, while LPA, MPA, and MVPA were positively linked to thinner inferior RNFL in adolescents with ASD, indicating that different levels of PA may influence ocular health differently across neurodevelopmental disorders. Supported by: General Research Fund (#14619720) & United College Endowment Fund Research Grant