PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of retinal function in myopes using a modified multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) protocol, the slow flash (sf-mfERG) paradigm, which is thought to primarily reflect responses of ON- and OFF-bipolar cells and emphasize the late response components. METHODS Twenty-eight subjects (10 emmetropes and 18 myopes) underwent m...

What Is the mfERG? The electroretinogram (ERG) is a mass potential, the result of the summed electrical activity of the cells of the retina. Typically, the clinical ERG is elicited by full-field (Ganzfeld) flashes of light. With an appropriate selection of test and background lights, rod and cone function can be assessed separately. As the ganglion cells contribute relatively little to the full...

PURPOSE The electroretinogram (ERG) represents the combination of several distinct cellular processes and conductances. Here, we define the contribution that K+ conductance through Kir4.1 channels makes to the mouse ERG. METHODS To obtain mice expressing different levels of Kir4.1, we mated Kir4.1+/- mice and used PCR to identify Kir4.1+/- and Kir4.1+/+ littermates. In addition, we mated Kir4...

PURPOSE To determine whether diabetes leads to retinal neuronal dysfunction in hypertensive transgenic (mRen-2)27 rats (Ren-2), and whether the effect can be prevented by treatment of hypertension with either the angiotensin-1 receptor blocker (AT1-RB) valsartan or the beta1-adrenergic receptor antagonist atenolol. METHODS Six-week-old Ren-2 rats were made diabetic (streptozotocin 55 mg/kg; n...