Work

Association Between Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA)-Based Retinal Vascular Densities and Empathy in Young Adults

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: With the use of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), the present study is the first study to examine if retinal vascular densities (vessel densities and perfusion densities) could be associated with empathetic levels in young adults. Methods: Fifty-one university students aged from 18 to 25 years (26 males and 24 females) were recruited from a university in Hong Kong. OCTA was conducted to assess their retinal vessel density (VD) and perfusion density (PD) in different scan patterns over the macula (1 mm center subfield, 3x3 mm scan, 6x6 mm scan). Empathy (cognitive, affective, and somatic) was measured by using the Cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scales (CASES). Results: After controlling for age, the multiple linear regression results showed that both the VD and PD in the 1 mm center subfield were significantly and negatively associated with the empathy total score, the affective empathy subscore, and the somatic empathy subscore, respectively (ps < 0.05). Conclusion: The present findings indicate that a lower level of empathy is associated with the retinal vascular densities in the 1 mm center subfield, including higher VD and PD, in healthy individuals, setting the foundation for futures studies investigating the underlying mechanism of retinal imaging and empathy.

Source: Bioengineering

DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering12090902

Authors: Bess Yin-Hung Lam, Carole Leung, Ka-Shun Lei, Kaiyip Choi, Henry H.L. Chan

Institutions: Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The University of Texas at Dallas, University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Topic: Retinal Imaging and Analysis

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258