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Electroretinographic assessment of retinal function during acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia

  • Basic Science
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Abstract

Background

The current study aimed to investigate retinal function during exposure to normobaric hypoxia.

Methods

Standard Ganzfeld ERG equipment (Diagnosys LLC, Cambridge, UK) using an extended ISCEV protocol was applied to explore intensity–response relationship in dark- and light- adapted conditions in 13 healthy volunteers (mean age 25 ± 3 years). Baseline examinations were performed under atmospheric air conditions at 341 meters above sea level (FIO2 of 21 %), and were compared to hypoxia (FIO2 of 13.2 %) by breathing a nitrogen-enriched gas mixture for 45 min. All subjects were monitored using infrared oximetry and blood gas analysis.

Results

The levels of PaCO2 changed from 38.4 ± 2.7 mmHg to 36.4 ± 3.0 mmHg, PaO2 from 95.5 ± 1.9 mmHg to 83.7 ± 4.6 mmHg, and SpO2 from 100 ± 0 % to 87 ± 4 %, from baseline to hypoxia respectively. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) was found for saturation amplitude of the dark-adapted b-wave intensity–response function (Vmax), dark-adapted a- and b-wave amplitudes of combined rod and cone responses (3 and 10 cd.s/m2), light-adapted b-wave amplitudes of single flash (3 and 10 cd.s/m2), and flicker responses (5–45 Hz) during hypoxia compared to baseline, without changes in implicit times. The a-wave slope of combined rod and cone responses (3 and 10 cd.s/m2) and the oscillatory potentials were significantly lower during hypoxia (p < 0.05). A isolated light-adapted ON response (250 ms flash) showed a reduction of amplitudes at hypoxia (p < 0.05), but no changes were observed for the OFF response.

Conclusions

The results show significant impairment of retinal function during simulated normobaric short-term hypoxia affecting specific retinal cells of rod and cone pathways.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all participants for their patience and cooperation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 12-16, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Andreas Schatz, Maurice Breithaupt, Eberhart Zrenner, Karl Ulrich Bartz-Schmidt, Florian Gekeler & Gabriel Willmann

  2. Medical Clinic and Polyclinic, Department of Sports Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Jens Hudemann & Andreas Niess

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto — University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    André Messias

Authors
  1. Andreas Schatz
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  2. Maurice Breithaupt
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  3. Jens Hudemann
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  4. Andreas Niess
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  5. André Messias
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  7. Karl Ulrich Bartz-Schmidt
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  9. Gabriel Willmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Florian Gekeler.

Additional information

This study was not supported by any organization, and therefore the authors had no financial relationships.

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Schatz, A., Breithaupt, M., Hudemann, J. et al. Electroretinographic assessment of retinal function during acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 252, 43–50 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-013-2504-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-013-2504-3

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