ERG and VECP in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO).

Eleven patients suffering from chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) were investigated by means of electroretinograms (ERG) and visually evoked cortical potentials (VECP) to flash and checkerboard-reversal stimuli. One patient exhibited a Kearns syndrome, in two patients fundoscopy revealed pigmentary retinopathy, and the other eight patients had normal fundi. In the three patients with pigmentary retinopathy the ERGs were slightly disturbed or normal, the P100-latencies in the VECPs being normal. Three out of eight patients without pigmentary changes had reduced ERGs indicating unsuspected retinopathy. This nonpigmentary retinopathy was only detected by means of ERG and may be the electrophysiological correlate of a reduced visual acuity. One patient had a considerably prolonged P100-latency in the pattern-reversal VECP of one eye, which may indicate lesions of the visual pathway along with CPEO.

Changes in flash but not pattern evoked cortical potentials after subchronic application of a monoamine oxidase (MAO) type A inhibitor in man.

Changes in flash but not pattern evoked cortical potentials after subchronic application of the MAO type A inhibitor pirlindole in man are reported. Pirlindole affects the deamination of serotonin and noradrenaline in the central nervous system and has serotonin reuptake inhibiting properties. Flash and pattern evoked cortical potentials were recorded in 6 healthy men before and after a 7 day period of treatment with 3 X 75 mg/day of pirlindole. After drug treatment, an increase in P100 latency to flash stimuli was seen without a change in the latency to pattern stimuli. This indicates that different neuronal systems process flash and pattern stimuli.

[ERG and VECP in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia]. / ERG und VECP bei chronisch-progressiver externer Ophthalmoplegie.

Eleven patients suffering from chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) were examined by means of electroretinography (ERG) and the visually evoked cortical potential (VECP) with flash and checkerboard-reversal stimuli. One patient exhibited a Kearns-Sayre syndrome, and in two patients fundoscopy revealed pigmentary retinopathy; the fundi of the other 8 patients were normal. In 3 of the patients with pigmentary retinopathy the ERG was slightly disturbed or normal, the P100 latency in the VECP being normal. In three out of 8 patients without retinal pigmentary changes the ERG indicated retinopathy. In 2 cases this was the only finding offering an explanation for the reduced visual acuity. One patient exhibited a considerably prolonged P100 latency in the pattern-reversal VECP of one eye, which might have been indicative of lesions of the visual pathway associated with CPEO.

[Pattern ERG and VECP following optic neuritis in childhood]. / Muster-ERG und -VECP nach Optikusneuritis im Kindesalter.

Pattern ERGs and pattern VECPs were recorded in 12 patients who had suffered from optic neuritis in childhood. When each individual's eyes were compared, the eye with the longer P100-latency in pattern VECP was found to have the smaller amplitude in pattern ERG. The latency differences correlated with the amplitude differences. These findings confirm that after optic neuritis the amplitude of pattern ERG is reduced.

Age-related changes of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.2.1.12), 3-phosphoglyceratekinase (E.C. 2.7.2.3), phosphoglyceratemutase (E.C. 2.7.5.3), and enolase (E.C. 4.2.1.11) in bovine lenses.

The specific activities of the four investigated enzymes of the carbohydrate metabolism decrease with ageing. In the old tissue, phosphoglyceratemutase and enolase sustain changes in their molecular weight, and their substrate affinity is modified.