TY - JOUR
T1 - LACK OF HABITUATION IN THE LIGHT ADAPTED FLICKER ELECTRORETINOGRAM OF NORMAL SUBJECTS: A COMPARISON WITH PATTERN ELECTRORETINOGRAM
AU - Fadda, Antonello
AU - Di Renzo, Antonio
AU - Parisi, Vincenzo
AU - Stifano, Giovanna
AU - Balestrazzi, Emilio
AU - Riva, Charles E.
AU - Falsini, Benedetto
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Abstract: Objective: Sustained pattern stimulation (SPS) induces habituation in the normal pattern electroretinogram (PERG). In this study, the authors evaluated whether sustained flicker stimulation (SFS) induces habituation in the normal flicker ERG (FERG).
Methods: FERGs were elicited in normal volunteers by an 8 Hz flicker stimulus, presented continuously over 3 min after 20 min of light adaptation. One stimulus temporal period was sampled and averaged in packets (n = 20) of 60 events, each of 8 s duration. Amplitudes and phases of the response 1st and 2nd harmonics (1F and 2F, respectively) were measured. FERG results were compared with those obtained by recording PERGs with a similar SPS paradigm.
Results: During SFS, FERG 2F showed a modest increase in amplitude (about 25%, p < 0.05). No changes were observed for the 1F amplitude and for the phase of both components. In contrast, PERG amplitude showed SPS-induced habituation, described by an exponential decay with a time constant of similar to 20 s.
Conclusions: The normal FERG, unlike PERG, does not show habituation, suggesting that the adaptive changes of retinal neurons underlying FERG are different from those of PERG generators.
Significance: Our findings may have implications for diagnosis and/or pathophysiology of retinal disorders involving the inner retina
AB - Abstract: Objective: Sustained pattern stimulation (SPS) induces habituation in the normal pattern electroretinogram (PERG). In this study, the authors evaluated whether sustained flicker stimulation (SFS) induces habituation in the normal flicker ERG (FERG).
Methods: FERGs were elicited in normal volunteers by an 8 Hz flicker stimulus, presented continuously over 3 min after 20 min of light adaptation. One stimulus temporal period was sampled and averaged in packets (n = 20) of 60 events, each of 8 s duration. Amplitudes and phases of the response 1st and 2nd harmonics (1F and 2F, respectively) were measured. FERG results were compared with those obtained by recording PERGs with a similar SPS paradigm.
Results: During SFS, FERG 2F showed a modest increase in amplitude (about 25%, p < 0.05). No changes were observed for the 1F amplitude and for the phase of both components. In contrast, PERG amplitude showed SPS-induced habituation, described by an exponential decay with a time constant of similar to 20 s.
Conclusions: The normal FERG, unlike PERG, does not show habituation, suggesting that the adaptive changes of retinal neurons underlying FERG are different from those of PERG generators.
Significance: Our findings may have implications for diagnosis and/or pathophysiology of retinal disorders involving the inner retina
KW - ELECTRORETINOGRAM
KW - ELECTRORETINOGRAM
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/45530
U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.06.011
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.06.011
M3 - Article
SN - 1872-8952
VL - 2009
SP - 1828
EP - 1834
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
ER -