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Off-components in response to brief light flashes in the oscillatory potential of the human electroretinogram

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Summary

Amplitudes and implicit times of the several oscillatory potentials (OP's) in the human electroretinogram have been studied in relation to temporal, adaptive and spectral stimulus variables. The last of the OP-wavelets responds differently from the preceding ones; its implicit time shortens with increase in stimulus frequency or adaptive illumination, whereas that of the preceding OP's is prolonged or stays constant. Moreover, the last OP-wavelet is time locked with the stimulus offset, whereas the others are not. This can be confirmed by linear subtraction of responses to an isolated stimulus onset from responses to stimuli of variable durations. These results indicate, that the last oscillatory potential is related to the light offset and is presumably generated by the retinal off-elements described in single cell recordings.

Zusammenfassung

Die Amplituden und Gipfelzeiten der einzelnen schnellen Potentialschwingungen im menschlichen Elektroretinogramm (oszillatorische Potentiale) wurden im Bezug zu zeitlichen, adaptiven und spektralen Reizparametern untersucht. In einer Serie von oszillatorischen Potentialen (OP's) zeigt dasjenige mit der längsten Gipfelzeit auffallende Unterschiede gegenüber den vorangehenden; seine Gipfelzeit verkürzt sich mit Steigerung der Reizfrequenz oder der adaptiven Beleuchtung, während die Gipfelzeit der vorangehenden OP's sich verlängert oder gleich bleibt. Darüber hinaus zeigt das letzte OP im Gegensatz zu den übrigen einen zeitlichen Bezug zum Reizende. Dies läßt sich erhärten durch lineare Subtraktion seiner, durch einen isolierten Hellsprung ausgelösten on-Antworten von on/off-Antworten auf Reize unterschiedlicher Dauer. Die Befunde weisen darauf hin, daß das in einer Serie zuletzt auftretende OP in enger Beziehung zur Beendigung eines Lichtreizes steht und vermutlich von den in Einzel-Zell-Versuchen gefundenen retinalen off-Elementen generiert wird.

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Address for offprint requests: Prof. Dr. E. Dodt, William-G.-Kerckhoff-Institut, Parkstr. 1, D-6350 Bad Nauheim, Federal Republic of Germany

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Kojima, M., Zrenner, E. Off-components in response to brief light flashes in the oscillatory potential of the human electroretinogram. Albrecht von Graefes Arch. Klin. Ophthalmol. 206, 107–120 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00414619

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