ERG oscillatory potentials in infants.
OBJECTIVE
Study the scotopic and photopic oscillatory potentials (OPs) of the electroretinogram (ERG) in 10-week old infants.


METHODS
Term-born 10-week old infants (n = 15) and adults (n = 12) were tested. Full-field ERGs were recorded under scotopic and photopic conditions. The records were filtered (75-300 Hz) to demonstrate the oscillatory wavelets. The amplitudes and implicit times of the infants' OPs were compared to those in adults and also to amplitudes of the saturated photoreceptor responses.


RESULTS
In infants, the mean OP amplitudes are similar in scotopic and photopic conditions and do not vary significantly with OP number. Infants' OPs are significantly smaller than in adults, with scotopic OPs averaging 19% of that in adults and photopic OPs averaging 47%, whereas the amplitudes of the saturated photoreceptor responses are 43% and 66% of those in adults. Mean interpeak intervals are similar in infants and adults, indicating oscillatory behavior at a frequency of 155 Hz in scotopic conditions and 135 Hz in photopic conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
In young infants, the OPs are relatively immature compared to the photoreceptor responses, with the immaturity of the scotopic responses being more marked than that of the photopic responses.
Moskowitz
Anne
A
Department of Ophthalmology, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. anne.moskowitz@childrens.harvard.ed
Hansen
Ronald M
RM
Fulton
Anne B
AB
D000221:Adaptation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D004596:Electroretinography; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000502:physiology*