The following is a summary of “Electroretinography and suicidal behaviors: a systematic review,” published in the December 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Kaggwa et al.
Researchers started a retrospective study to systematically characterize electroretinogram (ERG) findings in individuals with suicidal behaviors, aiming to inform future research on the potential of ERG in diagnosing and managing mental health illnesses.
They examined the available literature on ERG and suicidal behaviors. The initial section briefly outlined the theoretical foundation of ERG and the neurotransmitters implicated in suicidal behaviors. The subsequent section presented the findings of a review of studies that reported ERG results in individuals with suicidal behaviors.
The results showed that in most reviewed studies, the a-waves demonstrated average amplitude and implicit time, but the latency in individuals with suicidal behaviors was lower than usual. Furthermore, the b-waves exhibited reduced amplitude while the implicit time and latency were increased. There was a decrease in the b-a amplitude ratio and oscillatory potential.
Investigators concluded that while initial evidence suggests ERG links to suicidal behaviors, more significant, well-designed studies are crucial to solidify clinical applications.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-05453-w