Abstract
In this paper we examine the use of a symmetric binary random stimulus for eliciting the ERG, and for calculating the first-order and second-order kernels of a nonlinear functional expansion of the response. We show that if the stimulus is represented in a non-dimensional form, then the units in which all kernels are measured are the same as the units used to measure the response, microvolts in the case of the ERG: further, contributions from all kernels to the response can be added without scale factors. We present the first-order and second-order kernels measured for a population of 15 normal subjects in a clinical setting. The measurements were made at various levels of adaptation ranging from photopic to scotopic conditions. The second-order kernels illustrate the processes of rapid adaptation (<100 ms) in the retina.
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This research was supported in part by Grants No. EY01526, EY01774, EY01775, and RR07003 from the National Institutes of Health
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Larkin, R.M., Klein, S., Ogden, T.E. et al. Nonlinear kernels of the human ERG. Biol. Cybernetics 35, 145–160 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337060
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337060