A physiological basis for definition of the ISCEV ERG standard flash (SF) based on the photopic hill.

The ISCEV Standard for Clinical Electrophysiology indicates that the ERG standard flash should be defined within a very narrow range of intensities. Yet no information is provided as to how this intensity range was identified. We present evidence that would support a redefinition of the SF based on known photopic ERG properties.

Graded contribution of retinal maturation to the development of oxygen-induced retinopathy in rats.

PURPOSE: Newborn rats exposed to hyperoxia during the first days of life have been shown to exhibit not only vasculopathy but also permanent changes in the structure and function of the retina. Given that the rat retina is immature at birth and that the maturation process continues until the opening of the eyes at 14 days of life, this study was conducted to investigate the susceptibility of the retina to oxygen toxicity as a function of the degree of retinal maturity reached at the time of oxygen exposure. METHODS: Newborn rats were exposed to hyperoxia during selected postnatal day intervals. Scotopic electroretinograms were recorded at 30 and 60 days of age, and retinal histology was obtained at the end of the study. RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between the duration of the hyperoxic event and the structural and functional consequences in the retina. However, the repercussions were significantly more profound when the exposure to oxygen occurred within the second week of life (6-14 days), compared with earlier (0-6 days) or later periods (14-28 days). CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly suggest that the structural and functional retinal changes secondary to postnatal hyperoxia are not only the direct consequence of exposure to high levels of oxygen (i.e., free radicals), but also are determined by the level of retinal maturity reached at the time of oxygen exposure. The results also indicate that the structural anomalies precede the functional impairments.

Persistent functional and structural retinal anomalies in newborn rats exposed to hyperoxia.

Previous studies have shown that newborn rats exposed postnatally to hyperoxia will develop a permanent impairment of the retinal function as determined with the electroretinogram (ERG). The purpose of our study was to examine whether postnatal hyperoxia equally alters the light- and dark-adapted ERGs and oscillatory potentials (OPs) as well as leads to permanent structural modification of the retina. During the first 14 days of life, cohorts of Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a hyperoxic environment, and ERGs were recorded at mean ages of approximately 25 and 55 days. Our results indicate that both light- and dark-adapted ERGs and OPs are already significantly altered within a few days following exposure to hyperoxia. None of the ERG and (or) OP parameters, with the exception of the a-wave, returned to normal values by 55 days of age. In fact some dark-adapted OPs were completely abolished following postnatal O2 exposure. Histological analysis revealed that the retina of rats exposed to hyperoxia failed to develop an outer plexiform layer and had a reduced count of horizontal cells, consistent with the permanent postreceptoral anomalies seen in the ERG responses. Our results suggest that postnatal hyperoxia causes a generalized retinal disorder leading to permanent structural modifications of the retinal cytoarchitecture and lasting anomalies of the rod and cone functions.

Evidence against the Regulation of Grain Set by Spikelet Abscisic Acid Levels in Water-Stressed Wheat.

A possible role of abscisic acid (ABA) in the regulation of grain set in water-stressed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was investigated using a split root system to dry half the roots while the remainder were kept watered. Water uptake by the wet roots maintained the leaf water potential at the normal level, whereas the ABA produced in the dry roots was transported to the spike. This caused the spikelet ABA level to increase to the same extent as when the entire root system was stressed to permit a drop in the leaf water potential. In spite of this, the former treatment did not induce a reduction in grain set, whereas the latter did. Thus, contrary to previous reports, water stress-induced changes in spikelet ABA level alone do not appear to regulate grain set.