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Abstract Major depressive disorder is a common psychiatric problem that affects nearly 15% of the population in their lifetime. Pathophysiology and brain imaging findings show that degenerative and inflammatory processes may play a role. Meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies in major depressive disorder demonstrated significant gray matter loss. from anatomical and embryological perspectives, the retina can be considered a unique extension of the brain and is able to reflect axonal histopathology. Being unmyelinated, it can provide insight into the pathophysiological processes of diseases with a neurodegenerative element. The aim of this study was to investigate the theory of the possible structural basis for this disorder by comparing retinal optical coherence tomography parameters in a group of major depressive disorder patients with a healthy control group and try to find a correlation between optical coherence tomography parameters and pattern electroretinography parameters. In this study, thinning of the superior retinal nerve fiber layer, most of the ganglion cell inner plexiform layer, most of the macular thickness and volume in both eyes of the major depressive disorder patients were detected. Only the ganglion cell inner plexiform layer average thickness had a statistically significant positive correlation with the N95 amplitude in the left eye of the patients. The only clinical parameter correlated with optical coherence tomography average left macular volume was disease duration. Through this controlled cross-sectional study, we were able to highlight a significant retinal neuronal loss in the major depressive disorder group. |