title: In-Depth Functional Diagnostics of Mouse Models by Single-Flash and Flicker Electroretinograms without Adapting Background Illumination.
abstract: Electroretinograms (ERGs) are commonly recorded at the cornea for an assessment of the functional status of the retina in mouse models. Full-field ERGs can be elicited by single-flash as well as flicker light stimulation although in most laboratories flicker ERGs are recorded much less frequently than singleflash ERGs. Whereas conventional single-flash ERGs contain information about layers, i.e., outer and inner retina, flicker ERGs permit functional assessment of the vertical pathways of the retina, i.e., rod system, cone ON-pathway, and cone OFF-pathway, when the responses are evoked at a relatively high luminance (0.5 log cd s/m(2)) with varying frequency (from 0.5 to 30 Hz) without any adapting background illumination. Therefore, both types of ERGs complement an in-depth functional characterization of the mouse retina, allowing for a discrimination of an underlying functional pathology. Here, we introduce the systematic interpretation of the single-flash and flicker ERGs by demonstrating several different patterns of functional phenotype in genetic mouse models, in which photoreceptors and/or bipolar cells are primarily or secondarily affected.
authors.affiliation: Division of Ocular Neurodegeneration, Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Centre for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany. naoyuki.tanimoto@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, CIPSM and Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany. michalakis@lmu.de.
authors.forename: Stylianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michalakis
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. bweb@klinik.uni-regensburg.de.
authors.forename: Bernhard H F
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, CIPSM and Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany. christian.wahl@cup.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wahl-Schott
authors.affiliation: 5th Medical Clinic, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany. hp.hammes@umm.de.
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Hammes
authors.affiliation: Division of Ocular Neurodegeneration, Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Centre for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany. see@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Mathias W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Seeliger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000379:methods*; D044385:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008029:Lighting; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015293:Transducin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D044385:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits; C488949:Gnat1 protein, mouse; D015293:Transducin
keywords: Congenital stationary night blindness; Electroretinogram; Flicker; Functional diagnostics; Mouse model; Photoreceptor; Retinal bipolar cell; Retinal ischemia; Single-flash; X-linked juvenile retinoschisis