Postnatal development of flicker sensitivity in guinea pigs

Abstract

Background: The retinal response to flickering stimuli (steady state ERG) recruits many retinal elements and is a sensitive indicator of early retinal dysfunction. This study reports the post-natal maturation of the steady state ERG response in guinea pigs. Methods: The steady state ERG response to flickering stimuli (0.6 to 20 Hz) was recorded from dark adapted (more than 12 hrs) English Shorthair guinea pigs (n = 7) using flashes that produced rod and cone dominated responses. Temporal sensitivity functions and critical fusion frequencies (GFF) were derived over a range of ages from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 45. Results: Guinea pig rod and cone temporal sensitivity functions show shape char..