The electroretinogram (ERG) is one of the most commonly used clinical techniques to measure visual function. The ERG records the impulse generated by retinal cells in response to a single flash of light (Fishman et al., 2001). By altering the light or dark adapted status of the subject and recording at different light intensities and/or flicker frequencies, rod and cone function can be recorded and analysed in isolation, as can the function of second order neurons (Marmor et al., 2004). The ERG is a complex waveform and alterations can be used to diagnose and follow the progress of a variety of retinal disorders. Since this system is non-invasive, it can also be adapted to record from anaesthetised mice, specifically those with either spontaneous or targeted mutations in retinal genes (Nusinowitz and Ridder , 2002; Peachey and Ball, 2003).
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Reynolds, A.L., Farrar, G.J., Humphries, P., Kenna, P.F. (2008). Variation in the Electroretinogram of C57BL/6 Substrains of Mouse. In: Anderson, R.E., LaVail, M.M., Hollyfield, J.G. (eds) Recent Advances in Retinal Degeneration. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 613. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-74904-4_45
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