Focal cone ERGs of rhodopsin Pro347Leu transgenic rabbits.

A rhodopsin P347L transgenic (Tg) rabbit, a model of retinitis pigmentosa, has been generated in our laboratory. The purpose of this study was to determine the properties of focal areas of the retina in this rabbit model during the course of retinal degeneration. To accomplish this, we recorded focal ERGs from wild-type (WT) and Tg rabbits at ages 3, 6, and 12 months. A 15° stimulus spot was used to elicit the focal ERGs from the center of the visual streak and from four surrounding areas. We found that the amplitudes of the focal cone ERG b-waves and oscillatory potentials (OPs) of the Tg rabbits in the five areas decreased progressively with increasing age and became almost non-recordable at 12 months. There were no significant regional differences in the b-waves of Tg rabbits recorded from the 5 areas. The amplitudes of the OPs were better preserved than the b-waves and the OPs/b-wave ratio was higher than that in WT rabbits at every recording area. The summed OPs amplitudes, which most likely originate from the amacrine and/or ganglion cells, recorded from the area superior to the optic disc was significantly larger than that from other areas at 3- and 6-months-old. This indicated that the inner retinal neurons were not altered equally after photoreceptor degeneration in this rabbit model.