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Variations of the Directly Recorded Standing Potential of the Human Eye in Response to Changes in Illumination and to Ethanol

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ERG, VER and Psychophysics

Part of the book series: Documenta Ophthalmologica ((DOPS,volume 13))

Summary

The standing potential (SP) of the human eye was studied by means of a newly developed method including a suction contact lens, calomel electrodes and d.c. amplification. In this way stable and reproducible longterm direct registrations of the SP could be obtained without the use of general anaesthesia. An abrupt alteration of the illumination gave rise to characteristic cyclic variations of the SP.

A sudden change in illumination from darkness to 16 Lux almost immediately provoked a comparatively fast, transient negative change of the SP, reaching its maximum after 0.5–1 min. Thereafter, starting in a positive direction, a much slower variation of the SP in the form of damped oscillations with a frequency of about 2/hour appeared. The maximum amplitude of the first slow oscillation was of the order of 5 mV. When the illumination was changed in the opposite direction, the oscillations were reversed as to polarity and they were smaller in amplitude. With respect to phases and frequencies the results correspond well to findings in EOG measurements.

In response to a small dose of ethanol, given orally, the SP showed variations similar to those after a change in illumination from darkness to light.

This investigation was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (Project No 12X–734), Ollie and Elof Ericsson’s Research Foundation and the Research Committee of the Östergötlands läns landsting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital, S — 58185, Linköping, Sweden

    Sven Erik G. Nilsson & Klas-Olav Skoog

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  1. Sven Erik G. Nilsson
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  2. Klas-Olav Skoog
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Theodore Lawwill

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© 1977 Dr W. Junk b.v. Publishers

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Nilsson, S.E.G., Skoog, KO. (1977). Variations of the Directly Recorded Standing Potential of the Human Eye in Response to Changes in Illumination and to Ethanol. In: Lawwill, T. (eds) ERG, VER and Psychophysics. Documenta Ophthalmologica, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1312-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1312-3_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-1314-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-010-1312-3

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