{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T00:18:05Z","timestamp":1790036285464,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767830400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Plan for Science, Technology, and Innovation"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004919","name":"King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004919","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004919","name":"Vice Deanship of Research Chairs at King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["08-MED 510-02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["08-MED 510-02"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004919","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The search for biomarkers of cognition has garnered significant interest over the past decade, owing to their objective nature, in contrast to the currently available cognition screening tools, which are based on subjective measures. Retina imaging is used in this field because its tissue is considered as an extension of the brain\u2019s vascular and neural structures, reflecting overall brain health. In cognitive disorders, early detection and intervention are essential for achieving the best possible outcomes. To evaluate the physiological correlates of cognitive function in healthy young adults by assessing retinal structures as a non-invasive biomarker of cognitive health. Methods: Eighty healthy young adults participated in this study. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was used to measure retinal morphology, including macular thickness, volume, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness; then, OCT results were correlated with cognitive assessments using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Results: Participants with mild cognitive impairment exhibited thinner macular thickness and lower macular volume (p &lt; 0.05, p &lt; 0.001) than participants with normal cognitive function. We also found that macular thickness is positively associated with cognitive function in healthy adults (p &lt; 0.001). The RNFL was found to be normal in all groups, despite changes in macular thickness, indicating that cognitive function in normal individuals depends on macular changes rather than the optic nerve. Conclusions: Macular OCT, which is a cost-effective and widely available tool, can be used to screen for mild cognitive impairment. A clinical trial is recommended to validate these findings and to generate guidelines for assessing cognitive physiology through the retina.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15020496","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T09:01:29Z","timestamp":1767862889000},"page":"496","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Unveiling the Physiological Correlates of Cognitive Function in Healthy Adults: An In-Depth Investigation Using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7162-2419","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sarah","family":"Al-Mazidi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Anatomy and Physiology Department, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 13318, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3614-7990","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hanan Khalid","family":"Mofty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Optometry Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2795-8510","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kholoud Ahmad","family":"Bokhary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Optometry Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Najla Mohammed","family":"ALdughayshim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center\u2014Qawim, Riyadh 12836, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laila","family":"Al-Ayadhi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Autism Research and Treatment Center, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3487-7524","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adel G.","family":"Alakeely","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Magrabi Hospital and Center, Riyadh 13241, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S168","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaac.2021.09.103","article-title":"6.30 Biological and Psychosocial Correlates of Social Cognition in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)","volume":"60","author":"Jalnapurkar","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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