Biomaterial Database

The rod sensitivity of dark adapted human infants. 1992

A B Fulton, and R M Hansen

Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.

The determinants of infants' low scotopic visual sensitivity are controversial. Some interpret infants' scotopic vision as indicative of immature rod photoreceptor function while others attribute infantile sensitivities mainly to post receptoral immaturities. To date the rod photoreceptor sensitivity of human infants has not actually been measured. In the work reported herein, electroretinographic a-wave responses, which represent the rod photoresponse, were recorded from dark adapted 10-week old infants and adult control subjects. Rod isolated a-waves indicate that 10-week-old infants' rods are less sensitive than adults'. Thus, any explanation of infants' scotopic visual sensitivity must take into account this fundamental property of infants' rods, low sensitivity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D010786	Photoreceptor Cells	Specialized cells that detect and transduce light. They are classified into two types based on their light reception structure, the ciliary photoreceptors and the rhabdomeric photoreceptors with MICROVILLI. Ciliary photoreceptor cells use OPSINS that activate a PHOSPHODIESTERASE phosphodiesterase cascade. Rhabdomeric photoreceptor cells use opsins that activate a PHOSPHOLIPASE C cascade.	Ciliary Photoreceptor Cells,Ciliary Photoreceptors,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor Cells,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptors,Cell, Ciliary Photoreceptor,Cell, Photoreceptor,Cell, Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Cells, Ciliary Photoreceptor,Cells, Photoreceptor,Cells, Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Ciliary Photoreceptor,Ciliary Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell, Ciliary,Photoreceptor Cell, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptor Cells, Ciliary,Photoreceptor Cells, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptor, Ciliary,Photoreceptor, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptors, Ciliary,Photoreceptors, Rhabdomeric,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor Cell
D003623	Dark Adaptation	Adjustment of the eyes under conditions of low light. The sensitivity of the eye to light is increased during dark adaptation.	Scotopic Adaptation,Adaptation, Dark,Adaptation, Scotopic
D004596	Electroretinography	Recording of electric potentials in the retina after stimulation by light.	Electroretinographies
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D012684	Sensory Thresholds	The minimum amount of stimulus energy necessary to elicit a sensory response.	Sensory Threshold,Threshold, Sensory,Thresholds, Sensory
D014796	Visual Perception	The selecting and organizing of visual stimuli based on the individual's past experience.	Visual Processing,Perception, Visual,Processing, Visual