Oscillatory potentials as a marker for dopaminergic disease.

In an effort to find electrophysiologic correlates of dopaminergic disease in man, we measured oscillatory potentials of the electroretinogram in normal and unmedicated schizophrenic subjects, and in rabbits given D1 agonist or antagonist drugs. We found highly reproducible oscillatory potentials in twelve male schizophrenics that were indistinguishable from those in nine male normal volunteers. We also found little electroretinographic difference among four rabbits given intramuscular injections of SKF 38393 (a D1 agonist) and four control animals injected with saline. However, four animals given SCH 23390 (a D1 antagonist) showed diminution of the b-wave and selective suppression of the second oscillatory potential. This effect was more prominent in oscillatory potentials generated by 5-Hz flicker than by a single flash. These rabbit data suggest that further efforts at finding clinical correlations may be worthwhile, possibly with trial of flicker oscillatory potentials, and they support the concept that different oscillatory potentials have different generators.