CHARACTERIZATION OF MULTIINPUT ELECTRORETINOGRAM USING NORMAL CONTROLSUBJECTS

Background: The multiinput electroretinogram (ERG) has recently been d eveloped to analyze focal retinal responses in the central region and is expected to become a powerful tool for management of retinal diseas es. The relationship be tween the obtained ERG response and retinal ne uronal functions is not yet fully understood. Method: In the present s tudy, in order to study the spatial retinal functions; multiinput ERGs were recorded from 14 healthy subjects under several illumination con ditions modulating photoreeptor functions. Results: The first-order ke rnel amplitudes were changed in correspondence to the cone photorecept or adaptation states under different background illuminations. A stron g flash exposure significantly lowered the amplitude (approximately 70 %) within the central 15 deg but lowered it only slightly (10-20%) in the peripheral areas outside the central 15 deg. Similar effects were observed when the stimulus luminance was lowered by neutral density fi lters. Conclusion: Our data suggest that a newly developed multi-input measurement of ERGs represents signals within the firing of postrecep tor neurons from cone photoreceptors at specific areas. Thus, this ana lysis is a useful tool for mapping the spatial network of neurons in t he central region.