title: Rod and cone contributions to the dark-adapted 15-Hz flicker electroretinogram.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate rod and cone contributions to the dark-adapted 15-Hz flicker electroretinogram (ERG) across a broad range of stimulus luminances by comparing rod-isolating (ERGR), cone-isolating (ERGC), and non-receptor-specific (ERGR+C) responses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dark-adapted, full-field 15-Hz ERGs were obtained from four normally sighted subjects (ages 29-36 years) using a four-primary LED-based stimulating system. The primaries were either modulated sinusoidally in phase (ERGR+C) or were modulated in counter-phase to achieve rod isolation (ERGR) or cone isolation (ERGC) by means of triple silent substitution. Measurements were made for a broad range of luminances (-2.5 to 1.8 log scot. cd/m(2) in 0.2 log unit steps). Fourier analysis was used to obtain the amplitude and phase of the fundamental response component at each stimulus luminance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stimulus luminance had different effects on response amplitudes and phases under the three paradigms. Specifically, ERGC amplitude and phase increased monotonically as luminance increased. The effects on ERGR+C and ERGR were complex: ERGR+C and ERGR amplitude was small and the phase decreased for low luminances, whereas amplitude and phase increased sharply at moderate luminances. For high luminances, ERGR+C amplitude and phase increased, whereas ERGR amplitude decreased and phase was approximately constant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At low luminances, the ERGR+C and ERGR functions can be attributed to interactions between two rod pathways. At high luminances, the functions can be accounted for by interactions between rod and cone pathways (ERGR+C) or rod insensitivity (ERGR). The ERGR paradigm minimizes cone intrusion, permitting assessment of rod function over a large range of luminance levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1855 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Jason C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Dingcai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Frederick T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Collison
authors.forename: Gerald A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: J Jason
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McAnany
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000502:physiology*; D004596:Electroretinography; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D017948:Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*