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Towards an electroretinographic assay for studying colour vision in human observers

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine whether electroretinograms (ERGs) to heterochromatic stimulation can detect and quantify hereditary colour vision deficiency.

Methods

ERGs were measured to counterphase modulation of red and green stimuli. The total modulation depth of the red and green stimuli was constant. The ratio of red to green modulation was varied, and the responses were measured at two temporal frequencies: 12 and 36 Hz. Subjects were 13 protanopes, 19 protanomalous trichromats, 38 deuteranopes, 16 deuteranomalous trichromats and 22 normal trichromats.

Results

The responses are in agreement with previous findings: they were determined by a vector additive input of L- and M-cones (and thus is luminance sensitive) at 36 Hz. At 12 Hz, the responses can be modelled a vector addition of an L-/M-additive response (as determined by the 36 Hz ERGs) and an L-/M-opponent response. From the models, L-cone input fraction (36 Hz) and luminance input fraction (12 Hz) were estimated. The five groups showed different characteristics. However, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 12 Hz was not always satisfactory.

Conclusions

The ERGs to heterochromatic stimuli are potentially interesting for determining the presence and the type of colour vision deficiencies, provided some measures are taken to improve the 12 Hz SNRs.

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Notes

  1. It has been argued that parvocellular cells could also be the physiological basis for luminance vision and thus has a “double-duty”. In our opinion, there are two arguments against this proposition: First, it has been found that the psychophysical sensitivities to isoluminant chromatic stimuli decrease for frequencies above about 4 Hz although the opponent cells respond well to these stimuli at much higher frequencies. It therefore has been suggested that there is a cortical filter in the opponent channel. It is difficult to imagine how such a filter would not involve luminance signals from opponent cells, particularly because these luminance signals manifest themselves at very high temporal frequencies (typically above about 40 Hz as it is caused by the small centre-surround latency difference in opponent cells). Second, The L/M ratio in the luminance channel is larger than one, can (dependent on subject, stimulus size, position, etc.) be as large 10:1 and is correlated with the ratio of L- to M-cone numbers. The L/M ratio in the chromatic channel is, however, about unity. It is difficult to conceive how different psychophysical L/M ratios can result from one underlying physiological mechanism.

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Acknowledgments

DB wishes to thank Dr. Menuna Bahadur and Dr. Arundhati Malviya of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial railway hospital, Mumbai, for their continuous support.

Funding

The German Research Council (DFG) provided financial support in the form of Grant KR1317/13-1. The sponsor had no role in the design or conduct of this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Jan Kremers

  2. Department of Anatomy II, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

    Jan Kremers

  3. School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK

    Jan Kremers

  4. UBM Institute, Mumbai, India

    Deepak Bhatt

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India

    Deepak Bhatt

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  1. Jan Kremers
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Correspondence to Jan Kremers.

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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Statement of human rights

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Statement on the welfare of animals

No animals were used in the present study.

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Kremers, J., Bhatt, D. Towards an electroretinographic assay for studying colour vision in human observers. Doc Ophthalmol 133, 109–120 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-016-9561-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-016-9561-y

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