Investigation of Retinal Spatial Interaction Using mfERG Stimulation

Introduction: Adaptation is one of the key characteristic of our vision which can maximize the visual function. It applies to both spatial and temporal characteristics. The fast flickering stimulation characteristics of the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) can be applied to analyze retinal interactions between flashes and to investigate retinal temporal processing mechanism. Besides, its localized stimulus pattern can also be used as a tool for investigation of retinal spatial interaction. Methods: The mfERG recordings were obtained from 13 eyes of 9, normal, six-week-old Yorkshire pigs. The control mfERG was measured using the pattern consisting of 103 nonscaled hexagons, where each hexagon will follow a pre-set m-sequence. Nine isolated hexagons from the 103 nonscaled pattern were chosen in the masking mfERG stimulation, where the remaining hexagons were kept at constant luminance. First-order and the second-order kernel responses were analyzed, which represent the outer and inner retinal responses, respectively. Results: The second-order kernel response amplitude from the visual streak region showed a significant enhancement under the masking stimulation. Conclusions: The enhancement found under the masking condition indicates that the retinal signal will be suppressed under surrounding flicker stimulation, and this spatial inhibitory mechanism may originate from the inner retina.