The oscillatory potentials of the dark-adapted electroretinogram in retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: To study the development of the electroretinographic (ERG) oscillatory potentials (OPs) in two rat models of ROP and in human subjects with a history of ROP. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 36) were studied longitudinally. Rat models of ROP were induced, either by exposure to alternating 50%/10% oxygen (50/10 model) from postnatal day (P) 0 to P14 or by exposure to 75% oxygen (75 model) from P7 to P14. Control rats were reared in room air. Infant and adult human subjects with and without a history of ROP (n = 91) were also studied. Dark-adapted ERGs were recorded and filtered to demonstrate the OPs. Discreet Fourier transform (DFT) allowed evaluation of the OP power spectrum. OP energy (E), dominant frequency (F(peak)), and sensitivity (log i(1/2)) were evaluated. RESULTS: In 50/10 model rats, E was low compared with that in the 75 model rats and control animals. F(peak) (approximately 95 Hz) did not vary with age or group. Intriguingly, log i(1/2) in 75 model rats was greater than that in controls or 50/10 model rats. Human adults with a history of ROP had lower-energy OPs than did the control adults, but infants with a history of ROP had higher-energy OPs than did the control infants. F(peak) was lower (approximately 120 Hz) in infants than in adults (approximately 130 Hz). ROP did not affect log i(1/2) in humans. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between OPs in healthy rats and healthy humans were substantial, suggesting that OPs in rat models of ROP are unlikely to provide insight into the effects of ROP on human OPs. Indeed, neither ROP model studied showed a pattern of effects similar to that in human ROP.