Electroretinograms of albino and pigmented guinea-pigs (Cavia porcellus).

PURPOSE/METHODS: The present study compares the electroretinogram responses of albino and pigmented guinea-pigs (Cavia porcellus) with data published for the rat and mouse.

RESULTS

We found that albino guinea-pigs gave significantly larger amplitudes and faster implicit times for a-wave and peak-to-peak responses than did pigmented animals. In contrast, pigmented and albino rats and mice do not show such differences between strains.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that the guinea-pig may be a better model of the retinal response in human albinism as their response characteristics are consistent with those published for humans.