Purpose: To determine the presence and magnitude of the photopic negative response (PhNR) component of the electroretinogram (ERG) in the mouse eye and to test if it is altered by short-term elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP).
Methods: Photopic and scotopic ERGs were recorded from 12-month-old C57BL/6J mice and analyzed for photoreceptoral responses (a-wave), bipolar cell responses (b-wave), scotopic threshold responses (STRs), and PhNRs. Electroretinogram signals were measured before and after short-term subischemic elevation of IOP (50 mm Hg for 30 minutes) induced by cannulation of the anterior chamber. Retinas were subsequently assessed for signs of retinal stress and cell survival using immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR.
Results: The corneal negative PhNR of the photopic ERG was elicited in the mouse eye, and its amplitudes correlated with amplitudes of the positive STR (pSTR). Elevation of IOP significantly reduced amplitudes of both the PhNR and pSTR, while scotopic a-waves, scotopic b-waves, and photopic b-waves were unchanged. Pressure elevation was associated with upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein and heme oxygenase 1 expression in retinal macroglia in the absence of retinal cell death.
Conclusions: The PhNR component of the full-field ERG can be recorded in mice and is sensitive to elevation of IOP. Correlation between PhNR and pSTR signals before and after IOP elevation suggests that the PhNR depends on inner retinal integrity and provides a means for evaluating inner retinal function in mouse models.
Keywords: electroretinogram; ganglion cell; intraocular pressure.