Na. Mcbrien et al., THE EFFECTS OF BLOCKADE OF RETINAL CELL-ACTION POTENTIALS ON OCULAR GROWTH, EMMETROPIZATION AND FORM DEPRIVATION MYOPIA IN YOUNG CHICKS, Vision research, 35(9), 1995, pp. 1141-1152
To investigate the influence of brain mediated functions on control of
ocular growth, young chicks were treated monocularly with intravitrea
lly injected tetrodotoxin (TTX) to block retinal ganglion cell action
potentials. TTX injections (0.7 mu g in 7 mu l) were given on day 6 af
ter hatching in both binocularly open and monocularly deprived chicks.
Injections were repeated every 48 hr for a period of 8 days (TTX-open
; TTX-MD). Control groups of animals received intravitreally injected
phosphate buffered saline (PBS-open; PBS-MD) to one eye on the same sc
hedule. There was a minimum of eight animals in each group, Recovery f
rom form-deprivation myopia during blockade of retinal cell action pot
entials was also investigated. Results demonstrate that blockade of re
tinal cell action potentials by TTX produces reduced growth of the ant
erior segment of the eye and crystalline lens in both binocularly open
and MD chicks. Blockade of retinal cell action potentials does not pr
event form-deprivation induced vitreous chamber elongation and myopia.
Form deprived myopic eyes were found to emmetropize despite blockade
of retinal ganglion cell action potentials giving further evidence for
local ocular control of emmetropization. Blockade of retinal ganglion
cell action potentials did not prevent changes in choroidal thickness
in eyes developing axial myopia or eyes recovering from induced myopi
a.