Electrophysiologic characteristics of human and rat retinas in vitro.

To promote studies on the human retina, we investigated the survival of function in postmortem specimens. Visual pigment has been regenerated in normal human retinas, 5 to 58 hours postmortem, by exposure to retinal isomers in the dark. Levels from 0.1 to 0.41 nmol/mg protein were reached. Photoresponses were obtained in 9 of 13 retinas: P III maximum amplitudes ranged from 20-398 microV and thresholds, taking the criterion amplitude as 3 microV, ranged from 8.8-1340 quanta/micros2. In three cases, the b-wave was also seen. The P III amplitude vs. log intensity curves gave values of n between 0.6 and 1.0, and sigma (the stimulus intensity for a half maximal response) between 132-3700 quanta/microns2. Recovery of sensitivity did not always correspond to that of maximum response.