A NEW SYSTEM FOR RECORDING ELECTRORETINOGRAPHICAL POTENTIALS IN ANIMALS

Electroretinography can provide meaningful evidence of oculotoxic changes. We describe a new recording system specially constructed for animal experiments. It meets the standards for electroretinographical investigations and recording systems set up by international committees. The recording apparatus has a resolution of 0.49 mu V (amplitude) and 1 ms with a sensitivity range of +/-1 mV full scale and a band-pass of 0.03 to 1,000 Hz. The signals are digitized and processed by a computer. The calibration symbol is faithfully represented as a rectangular impulse with an amplitude of 100 mu V and a period of 100 ms. Normal values were calculated for 25-week-old albino Wistar rats. The normal range is defined as the mean +/-2 SD for A and B wave parameters. These normal values can serve as reference values for future studies in oculotoxicity.