The eyes may be able to signal neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD and ADHD, according to new research from Flinders University and the University of South Australia.

Researchers have found that recordings from the retina could identify distinct signals for both Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, providing a potential biomarker for each condition.

Research optometrist at Flinders University, Dr Paul Constable, told Gareth Parker on 6PR Breakfast the preliminary findings were promising for improved diagnoses and treatments in the future, after a diagnostic test measuring electrical activity in the retina found children with ADHD had higher overall ERG energy, and children with ASD showed less.

“Because the eyes are connected to the brain, they kind of link up together… it’s a lot easier talking to the eye than to look into the brain, so to speak, so we have a fairly simple test that we can do, that looks at the electrical activity of the retina, which kind of mirrors we think the actual activity going on in the brain,” he said.

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