Chronic placental insufficiency affects retinal development in the guinea pig

Abstract

PURPOSE. Very low birth weight (VLBW) and fetal growth restriction are associated with increased risks of long-term visual impairments, including alterations to contrast sensitivity, a parameter mediated in part by dopaminergic amacrine cells. This study was conducted to determine whether chronic placental insufficiency (CPI), sufficient to cause growth restriction, results in neurochemical alterations to retinal interneurons, specifically amacrine and horizontal cell populations near term. METHODS. CPI was induced just before midgestation (term ∼67 days of gestation, dg) in guinea pigs through unilateral ligation of the uterine artery. Growth-restricted (GR, n = 32) and control (n = 29) fet..