The reproducibility and sensitivity of visual evoked potential testing in rabbits

摘要

To examine the reproducibility and sensitivity of flash visual evoked potential (VEP) testing in rabbits, we recorded the VEPs elicited by light stimuli in conscious rabbits from an active electrode placed on the primary visual cortex. We analyzed flash VEPs of rabbits by detecting the first negative peak, which was designated N1. We evaluated the effects of dark adaptation time (from 5 to 30 min) on the latency and amplitude of N1, and the coefficient of variation (CV) of these parameters. Then, the intensity of photopic stimulation was varied using a neutral density (ND) filter from the standard 0.6 J to its -1.8 log unit energy level at 0.3 log unit decrements. The N1 latency and amplitude were measured at each recording. There was no significant change in VEP latency or amplitude when the dark adaptation time was varied from 5 to 30 min (n = 7, P > 0.05, ANOVA).The CV of the N1 latency was 0.4% and that of the N1 amplitude was 4.2% (n = 6). The N1 peak latency was prolonged and its amplitude decreased significantly with the decrease in the stimulus intensity; the changes in latency and amplitude relative to the standard were significant (n = 11, p