Biomaterial Database

Electroretinograms of albino and pigmented guinea-pigs (Cavia porcellus). 1998

B V Bui, and A J Sinclair, and A J Vingrys

Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

OBJECTIVE The present study compares the electroretinogram responses of albino and pigmented guinea-pigs (Cavia porcellus) with data published for the rat and mouse. RESULTS We found that albino guinea-pigs gave significantly larger amplitudes and faster implicit times for a-wave and peak-to-peak responses than did pigmented animals. In contrast, pigmented and albino rats and mice do not show such differences between strains. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that the guinea-pig may be a better model of the retinal response in human albinism as their response characteristics are consistent with those published for humans.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010858	Pigmentation	Coloration or discoloration of a part by a pigment.	Pigmentations
D012160	Retina	The ten-layered nervous tissue membrane of the eye. It is continuous with the OPTIC NERVE and receives images of external objects and transmits visual impulses to the brain. Its outer surface is in contact with the CHOROID and the inner surface with the VITREOUS BODY. The outer-most layer is pigmented, whereas the inner nine layers are transparent.	Ora Serrata
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
D006168	Guinea Pigs	A common name used for the genus Cavia. The most common species is Cavia porcellus which is the domesticated guinea pig used for pets and biomedical research.	Cavia,Cavia porcellus,Guinea Pig,Pig, Guinea,Pigs, Guinea
D000417	Albinism	General term for a number of inherited defects of amino acid metabolism in which there is a deficiency or absence of pigment in the eyes, skin, or hair.
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012684	Sensory Thresholds	The minimum amount of stimulus energy necessary to elicit a sensory response.	Sensory Threshold,Threshold, Sensory,Thresholds, Sensory
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus