Maturation of the electroretinogram of the neonatal rabbit.

The development of the electroretinogram in the rabbit has been said to proceed with first the a-wave, then the b-wave and last the oscillatory potentials. The aim of our study was to reexamine this claim with special attention to the oscillatory potentials. Albino rabbits from the same litter were studied at weekly intervals for five weeks from the first week of life. A Grass photostimulator was used in light and dark adaptation and 50 amplified responses were averaged. Both 1-1000 Hz (electroretinogram) and 100-1000 Hz (oscillatory potential) band-widths were recorded simultaneously. The a-wave was the earliest signal to appear, at the second week of life. A rapid growth of the b-wave and oscillatory potentials was then noted between the second and third weeks, followed by a slower change. They evolved at the same rate, each with an increase in amplitude and decrease in peak time. The change in form of the b-wave was consistent with the sequential formation of each potential as the rabbit matured. The finding of simultaneous development of the b-wave and oscillatory potentials in the aging neonatal rabbit is contrary to previous reports.