Morphological characterization of retinal development from birth to adulthood via retinal thickness assessment in mice: A systematic review.

Abstract

The morphology and thickness of the retinal layers are valuable biomarkers for retinal health and development. The retinal layers in mice are similar to those in humans; thus, a mouse is appropriate for studying the retina. The objectives of this systematic review were: (1) to describe normal retinal morphology quantitatively using retinal layer thickness measured from birth to age 6 months in healthy mice; and (2) to describe morphological changes in physiological retinal development over time using the longitudinal (in vivo) and cross-sectional (ex vivo) data from the included studies. A PubMed search was conducted for articles published from to 1980-2024 that included quantitative data. Prior to sexual maturity, an increase in the total retinal and inner plexiform layer thicknesses were observed, with a decrease in the inner nuclear layer thickness. After sexual maturity, an asymptotic decrease in thickness was observed up to age 6 months in all layers; during this period, no significant changes were observed in the outer nuclear layer or nerve fiber layer/ganglion cell layer complex. Potential sources of variability and inconsistency among the studies included differences in imaging modality, animal strain, measurement timing, and retinal segmentation/assignment techniques. These findings highlight the importance of including a control group in experimental designs and providing comparative data for further investigations.