Characterizing the Retinal Function of Psammomys obesus: A Diurnal Rodent Model to Study Human Retinal Function.

ABSTRACTPurpose: To compare the retinal function of a diurnal murid rodent, Psammomys obesus, with that of Wistar albino rat and human subjects.Materials and methods: Adult Psammomys obesus were captured and transferred to the animal facilities where they were maintained at 25°C with standard light/dark cycles and natural halophilic plants, rich in water and mineral salts. Standard full-field photopic and scotopic electroretinograms were obtained.Results: The right eye of all animals displayed well detectable and reproducible scotopic and photopic electroretinogram (ERG) responses. Results were compared with those obtained from human subjects and Wistar rats. ERG measurement showed that the amplitudes of scotopic responses in Psammomys obesus are quite similar to those of human subjects. The amplitude of the photopic a-wave was comparable to that of humans and six times higher than that of the albino rat. The amplitudes of photopic b-wave, photopic oscillatory potentials (OPs), and 30 Hz flicker were all ...