Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of levodopa on the human pattern electroretinogram and pattern visual evoked potentials

  • Clinical Investigations
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Pattern electroretinograms (P-ERGs) and pattern visual evoked potentials (P-VEPs) were recorded at three luminance levels and five different check sizes in a group of 16 control subjects before and after the oral administration of levodopa. At the lower luminance levels, significant decrease in P-ERG and P-VEP latencies were found. For P-VEPs the latency changes occurred only at small check sizes. No changes were observed in control experiments without levodopa administration. Our results show that levodopa-induced changes even occur at the retinal level and support a dopaminergic involvement in light and dark adaptation. Our observations are in agreement with a VEP delay found in Parkinson's disease and with a VEP latency increase in rats after dopamine depletion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bodis-Wollner I, Yahr MD (1978) Measurements of visual evoked potentials in Parkinson's disease. Brain 101:661–671

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bodis-Wollner I, Yahr MD, Mylin L, Thorton J (1981) Dopaminergic deficiency and delayed visual evoked potentials in humans. Ann Neurol 11:478–483

    Google Scholar 

  3. Borbe HO, Fehske JK, Müller WE, Nover A, Wollert U (1982) The demonstration of several neurotransmitter and drug receptors in human retina. Comp Biochem Physiol 72:117–119

    Google Scholar 

  4. Brainard GC, Morgan WW (1987) Light-induced stimulation of retinal dopamine: a dose-response relationship. Brain Res 424:199–203

    Google Scholar 

  5. Calne DB, Reid JL (1982) Antiparkinson drugs, pharmacological and antitherapeutical aspects. Drugs 4:49–74

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cleland BG, Levick WR (1974) Brisk and sluggish concentrically organized ganglion cells in the cat's retina. J Physiol 240:421–456

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cowey A, Rolls ET (1974) Human cortical magnification factor and its relation to visual acuity. Exp Brain Res 21:447–454

    Google Scholar 

  8. Dawis SM, Niemeyer G (1988) Similarity and diversity of monoamines in their effects on the standing potential, light peak and electroretinogram of the perfused cat eye. Clin Vis Sci 3:109–118

    Google Scholar 

  9. Dinner DS, Lüders H, Hanson M, Lesser RP, Klem G (1985) Pattern evoked potentials (PEPs) in Parkinson's disease. Neurology (NY) 35:610–613

    Google Scholar 

  10. Dyer RS, Howell WE, MacPhail RC (1981) Dopamine depletion slows retinal transmission. Exp Neurol 71:326–340

    Google Scholar 

  11. Ehle AL, Stewart M, Lellelid NE, Leventhal NA (1982) Normal checkerboard pattern reversal evoked potentials in parkinsonism. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 54: 336–338

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ellis CJK, Allen GJ, Marsden CD, Ikeda H (1987) Electroretinographic abnormalities in idiopathic Parkinson's disease and the effect of levodopa administration. Clin Vis Sci 1:347–355

    Google Scholar 

  13. Filip V, Balik J (1978) Possible indication of dopaminergic blockade in man by electroretinography. Int Pharmacopsychiatry 13:151–156

    Google Scholar 

  14. Frederick JM, Rayborn ME, Laties A, Lam DMK, Hollyfield JD (1982) Dopaminergic neurons in the human retina. J Comp Neurol 210:65–79

    Google Scholar 

  15. Gawel MJ, Das P, Vincent S, Rose C (1982) Visual and auditory evoked responses in patients with Parkinson's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 44:227–232

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gottlob I, Schneider E, Heider W, Skrandies W (1987) Alteration of visual evoked potentials and electroretinograms in Parkinson's disease. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 66:349–357

    Google Scholar 

  17. Hansch EC, Syndulko K, Cohen SN, Goldberg ZI, Potvin AR, Tourtellote WW (1982) Cognition in Parkinson's disease: an event-related potential perspective. Ann Neurol 11:599–607

    Google Scholar 

  18. Iuvone PM, Galli CL, Garrison-Gund CK, Neff NH (1978) Light stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase activity and dopamine synthesis in retinal amacrine neurons. Science 202: 901–902

    Google Scholar 

  19. Jaffe MJ, Bruno G, Campell G, Lavine RA, Karson CN, Weinberger DR (1987) Ganzfeld electroretinographic findings in parkinsonism: untreated patients and the effect of levodopa intravenous infusion. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 50:847–852

    Google Scholar 

  20. Jagadeesh JM, Sanchez R (1981) Effect of apomorphine on the rabbit electroretinogram. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 21:620–625

    Google Scholar 

  21. Jagadeesh JM, Lee HC, Salazar-Bookaman M (1980) Influence of chlorpromazine on the rabbit electroretinogram. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 19:1449–1456

    Google Scholar 

  22. Jensen RJ, Daw NW (1984) Effect of dopamine antagonists on receptive fields of brisk cells and directionally selective cells in the rabbit retina. J Neurosci 4:2972–2985

    Google Scholar 

  23. Maguire GW, Smith EL (1985) Cat retinal ganglion cell receptive-field alterations after 6-hydroxydopamine induced dopaminergic amacrine cell lesions. J Neurophysiol 53:1431–1443

    Google Scholar 

  24. Marx M, Bodis-Wollner I, Bobak P, Harnois C, Mylin L, Yahr M (1986) Temporal frequency-dependent VEP changes in Parkinson's disease. Vision Res 26:185–193

    Google Scholar 

  25. Odom JV, Maida TM, Dawson WW (1983) Pattern evoked retinal response (PERR) in humans: effects of spatial frequency, temporal frequency, luminance and defocus. Curr Eye Res 2:99–108

    Google Scholar 

  26. Onofrj M, Bodis-Wollner I, Ghilardi MF, Marx M, Glover A (1986) Pattern vision in monkeys with parkinsonism: a stimulus specific effect of MPTP on retinal and cortical responses. In: Markey SP, Castagnoli N Jr, Trevor AJ, Kopin IJ (eds) MPTP — a neurotoxin producing a parkinsonian syndrome. Academic Press, New York, pp 683–688

    Google Scholar 

  27. Parkinson D, Rando RR (1983) Effects of light on dopamine metabolism in the chick retina. J Neurochem 40:39–47

    Google Scholar 

  28. Parkinson D, Rando RR (1983) Effect of light on dopamine turnover and metabolism in rabbit retina. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 24:384–388

    Google Scholar 

  29. Proll MA, Morgan WW (1982) Adaptation of retinal dopamine neuron activity in light-adapted rats to darkness. Brain Res 241:359–361

    Google Scholar 

  30. Schneider T, Zrenner E (1987) The effect of fluphenazine on rod-mediated retinal responses. Doc Ophthalmol 65:287–296

    Google Scholar 

  31. Strachil M, Perwein J (1969) The inhibition of retinal ganglion cells by catecholamines and γ-aminobutyric acid. Pflüger's Arch 321:45–54

    Google Scholar 

  32. Tartaglione A, Pizio N, Bino G, Spadavecchia L, Favale E (1984) VEP changes in Parkinson's disease are stimulus dependent. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 47: 305–307

    Google Scholar 

  33. Thier P, Alder V (1983) Action of iontophoretically applied dopamine on cat retinal ganglion cells. Brain Res 292:109–121

    Google Scholar 

  34. Thierry AM, Stinus L, Blanc G, Glowinski J (1973) Some evidence for the existence of dopaminergic neurons in the rat cortex. Brain Res 50:230–234

    Google Scholar 

  35. Yaar I (1980) The effect of levodopa treatment on the visual evoked potentials in parkinsonian patients. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 50:267–274

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. I. Universitäts-Augenklinik, Spitalgasse 2, A-1090, Wien, Austria

    Irene Gottlob, Herbert Weghaupt & Clemens Vass

  2. Neurologische Universitäts-Klinik, Wien, Austria

    Eduard Auff

Authors
  1. Irene Gottlob
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Herbert Weghaupt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Clemens Vass
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Eduard Auff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gottlob, I., Weghaupt, H., Vass, C. et al. Effect of levodopa on the human pattern electroretinogram and pattern visual evoked potentials. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 227, 421–427 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02172892

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02172892

Keywords

Search

Navigation