Silent substitution S-cone electroretinogram in subjects with diabetes mellitus

Evaluation of colour vision impairment during acute hypobaric hypoxia in aviation medicine: a randomized controlled trial

The digitization of aircraft cockpits places high demands on the colour vision of pilots. The present study investigates colour vision changes upon acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. The digital Waggoner Computerized Color Vision Test and the Waggoner D-15 were performed by 54 healthy volunteers in a decompression chamber. Respective altitude levels were sea level, 10,000 or 15,000 ft for exposure periods of 15 and 60 min, respectively. As for 60 min of exposure a significant decrease in colour perception was found between subjects at 15,000 ft as compared to the control group as well as between subjects at 15,000 ft as compared to subjects at 10,000 ft. No significant difference was found in the comparison within the 15,000 ft groups across time points pre-, peri-, and post-exposure. Thus, pilots appear to experience only minor colour vision impairment up to an exposure altitude of 15,000 ft over 60 min of exposure.

Achromatic and chromatic contrast discrimination in patients with type 2 diabetes

Effects of type 2 diabetes on achromatic and chromatic contrast sensitivity (CS) are still controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate CS in patients without diabetic retinopathy (no-DR) and in those with non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and proliferative DR (PDR) using psychophysical methods with transient and sustained achromatic stimuli and color patches. Achromatic CS was measured with the pulsed pedestal (PP) paradigm (7, 12, and 19 cd/m²) and pedestal-△-pedestal (P-△-P) paradigm (11.4, 18, and 28.5 cd/m²). A chromatic discrimination paradigm that assesses protan, deutan, and tritan color vision was adopted. Forty-two patients (no-DR n = 24, NPDR n = 12, PDR = 6; male n = 22, mean age = 58.1 y/o) and 38 controls (male n = 18, mean age = 53.4 y/o) participated. In patients, mean thresholds were higher than in controls and linear trends were significant in most conditions. For the PP paradigm, differences were significant in the PDR and NPDR groups in the 7 and 12 cd/m² condition. For the P-△-P paradigm, differences were only significant in the PDR group in the 11 cd/m² condition. Chromatic contrast loss was significant in the PDR group along the protan, deutan and tritan axes. The results suggest independent involvements of achromatic and chromatic CS in diabetic patients.

Comparison of broadband and monochromatic photopic negative response in eyes of patients with diabetes with no diabetic retinopathy and different stages of diabetic retinopathy

Purpose:

To evaluate the change in broadband (W/W), red on blue (R/B), and blue on yellow (B/Y) photopic negative response (PhNR) in patients with diabetes mellitus with no diabetic retinopathy (no DR) and different stages of DR and compare it with age-matched controls. This study was performed to provide a single PhNR protocol that can be used for early diagnosis of DR.

Methods:

It was a cross-sectional case-control study done in a hospital setup. Patients with diabetes with no DR and different stages of DR with no other associated ocular pathologies were included. Age-matched controls with no retinal pathologies were also included for comparison. All subjects underwent detailed ophthalmic examination and W/W, R/B, and B/Y electroretinography. Fifty control eyes and 52 treatment naïve eyes of 52 patients with diabetes [no DR = 11, mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) =11, moderate NPDR = 10, severe NPDR = 9, and proliferative DR = 11] were included in the study.

Results:

On comparing the ERG responses in patients with diabetes and age-matched controls, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) was noted in the amplitudes of a-wave (39.78 ± 11.34 μV vs. 67.28 ± 12.88 μV), b-wave (116.25 ± 45.25 vs. 134.39 ± 28.78 μV), W/W PhNR (33.86 ± 17.33 vs. 67.18 ± 15.99 μV), R/B PhNR (28.77 ± 15.85 vs. 53.48 ± 14.15 μV), and B/Y PhNR (55.04 ± 32.63 vs. 104.79 ± 24.37 μV). Posthoc analysis revealed that all the eyes in the diabetic group, including those with no DR, had a significantly reduced PhNR amplitude (P < 0.05) when compared with controls. PhNR was found to reduce in amplitude with increasing severity of DR (P < 0.05), with more significance in B/Y. Receiver operating characteristic showed highest area under the curve in B/Y PhNR (94%, P < 0.001), with maximum sensitivity and specificity of 88% and 87%, respectively.

Conclusion:

Changes in the amplitude and implicit time of ERG can reflect the severity of DR. PhNR amplitudes, especially B/Y PhNR, appear to be significantly reduced even in eyes with no DR.

PRE-RETINOPATHY OF TYPE 1 DIABETES IN THE CONTEXT OF FUNCTIONAL, STRUCTURAL AND MICROCIRCULATORY CHANGES IN THE MACULAR AREA

AIM

The authors assessed the development of intraocular changes in type 1 diabetes (T1DM) from the onset of the disease leading to diabetic retinopathy (DR). The quote: &#8220;There must be an intermediate stage between the physiological intraocular finding and the diabetic retinopathy itself &#8220;, (prof. Jan Vav&#345;inec).

METHODS

A two-year study (2018 and 2019) was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Teaching Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady in Prague (Czech Republic). There were 54 patients aged 17-42 years, the detection of T1DM ranged between the 1st and 14th year of life, with a duration of 12-35 years. Individual patients were always examined simultaneously by three methods: CS (contrast sensitivity), SD-OCT (spectral domain optical coherence tomography) and OCT-A (optical coherence tomography-angiography). We examined 106 eyes once and in a comprehensive manner.

RESULTS

We have shown that there is an intermediate stage between the physiological finding on the retina and DR, so-called diabetic pre-retinopathy (DpR). Subsequent redistribution of the observed into two DpR subgroups was derived from the size of the FAZ, either with its smaller area or with a larger area determining the microvascularity of the central area of the retina. The results of both other methods were assigned to these values. For SD-OCT, the depth of the fovea (the difference between the central retinal thickness and the total average retinal thickness) was determined, which was affected by the increased the macular cubature. In all patients it was on average 10.3 &#956;m3. The retina in the central area was significantly strengthened compared to the healthy population at the level of significance p 0,001. We divided the actual DpR into an image: DpR1 in 26.5 % of eyes - condition with an average shallower fovea only by 21.5 &#956;m below the level of the surrounding retina and an average narrower FAZ: 0.165 mm2 and with a more significant decrease in CS; DpR2 in 40.5 % of eyes - condition with average deeper fovea by 42 &#956;m, i.e., more significantly and average larger FAZ: 0.325 mm2 with lower decrease of CS. At the same time, other changes in microvascularity were noted, such as disorders in the sense of non-perfusion in the central part of the retina of various degrees. This finding differed significantly from changes in already established (non-proliferative) NPDR in 36 % of eyes, when a significant decrease in CS with normal visual acuity was found 4/4 ETDRS. Statistical differences in CS between DpR1 and DpR2 and NPDR were determined - always p 0.001. The average depth of the fovea was NPDR: 29.5 &#956;m. NPDR had the largest average FAZ: 0.56 mm2. Also significant were the most significant changes in non-perfusion and especially the presence of microaneurysms.

CONCLUSIONS

These three non - invasive methods helped to monitor the dynamics of the development of ocular changes in T1DM of better quality than the determination of visual acuity and ophthalmoscopic examination. Increased retinal volume induced hypoxia of visual cells with subsequent dual autoregulatory mechanism conditioning two types of diabetic pre-retinopathy before the onset of DR.

Photoreceptor cells and RPE contribute to the development of diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness. It has long been regarded as vascular disease, but work in the past years has shown abnormalities also in the neural retina. Unfortunately, research on the vascular and neural abnormalities have remained largely separate, instead of being integrated into a comprehensive view of DR that includes both the neural and vascular components. Recent evidence suggests that the most predominant neural cell in the retina (photoreceptors) and the adjacent retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) play an important role in the development of vascular lesions characteristic of DR. This review summarizes evidence that the outer retina is altered in diabetes, and that photoreceptors and RPE contribute to retinal vascular alterations in the early stages of the retinopathy. The possible molecular mechanisms by which cells of the outer retina might contribute to retinal vascular damage in diabetes also are discussed. Diabetes-induced alterations in the outer retina represent a novel therapeutic target to inhibit DR.

An Update on Connexin Gap Junction and Hemichannels in Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the main causes of vision loss in the working age population. It is characterized by a progressive deterioration of the retinal microvasculature, caused by long-term metabolic alterations inherent to diabetes, leading to a progressive loss of retinal integrity and function. The mammalian retina presents an orderly layered structure that executes initial but complex visual processing and analysis. Gap junction channels (GJC) forming electrical synapses are present in each retinal layer and contribute to the communication between different cell types. In addition, connexin hemichannels (HCs) have emerged as relevant players that influence diverse physiological and pathological processes in the retina. This article highlights the impact of diabetic conditions on GJC and HCs physiology and their involvement in DR pathogenesis. Microvascular damage and concomitant loss of endothelial cells and pericytes are related to alterations in gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) and decreased connexin 43 (Cx43) expression. On the other hand, it has been shown that the expression and activity of HCs are upregulated in DR, becoming a key element in the establishment of proinflammatory conditions that emerge during hyperglycemia. Hence, novel connexin HCs blockers or drugs to enhance GJIC are promising tools for the development of pharmacological interventions for diabetic retinopathy, and initial in vitro and in vivo studies have shown favorable results in this regard.

Human S-cone electroretinograms obtained by silent substitution stimulation

We used triple silent substitution stimuli to characterize human S-cone electroretinograms (ERGs) in normal trichromats. Short-wavelength-cone (S-cone) ERGs were found to have different morphological features and temporal frequency response characteristics compared to ERGs derived from L-cones, M-cones, and rod photoreceptors in normal participants. Furthermore, in two cases of retinal pathology, blue cone monochromatism (BCM) and enhanced S-cone syndrome (ESCS), S-cone ERGs elicited by our stimuli were preserved and enhanced, respectively. The results from both normal and pathological retinae demonstrate that triple silent substitution stimuli can be used to generate ERGs that provide an assay of human S-cone function.

Electroretinographic evidence suggesting that the type 2 diabetic retinopathy of the sand rat Psammomys obesus is comparable to that of humans

Purpose

Type 2 diabetic retinopathy is the main cause of acquired blindness in adults. The aim of this work was to examine the retinal function of the sand rat Psammomys obesus as an animal model of diet-induced type 2 diabetes when subjected to a hypercaloric regimen.

Materials and methods

Hyperglycemia was induced in Psammomys obesus by high caloric diet (4 kcal/g). The visual function of control (n = 7) and diabetic (n = 7) adult rodents were followed up during 28 consecutive weeks with full-field electroretinogram(ERG) recordings evoked to flashes of white light according to the standard protocol of the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol (ISCEV).

Results

Twenty-eight weeks following the induction of diabetes, results revealed significantly reduced and delayed photopic and scotopic ERG responses in diabetic rats compared to control rats. More specifically, we noted a significant decrease in the amplitude of the dark-adapted 0.01ERG (62%), a- and b-wave amplitudes of the dark-adapted 3.0 ERG (33.6%, 55.1%) and the four major oscillatory potentials components (OP1-OP4) (39.0%, 75.2%, 54.8% and 53.7% respectively). In photopic conditions, diabetic rats showed a significant decrease in a- and b-wave (30.4%, 43.4%), photopic negative response (55.3%), 30 Hz flicker (63.7%), OP1-OP4(51.6%, 61.8%, 68.3% and 47.5% respectively) and S-cone (34.7%). Significantly delayed implicit times were observed for all ERG components in the diabetic animals. Results obtained are comparable to those characterizing the retinal function of patients affected with advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy.

Conclusion

Psammomys obesus is a useful translational model to study the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy in order to explore new therapeutic avenues in human patients.

The Effects of Diabetic Retinopathy and Pan-Retinal Photocoagulation on Photoreceptor Cell Function as Assessed by Dark Adaptometry

Purpose

The pathophysiology of vision loss in persons with diabetic retinopathy (DR) is complex and incompletely defined. We hypothesized that retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and rod and cone photoreceptor dysfunction, as measured by dark adaptometry, would increase with severity of DR, and that pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP) would exacerbate this dysfunction.

Methods

Dark adaptation (DA) was measured in subjects with diabetes mellitus and healthy controls. Dark adaptation was measured at 5° superior to the fovea following a flash bleach, and the data were analyzed to yield cone and rod sensitivity curves. Retinal layer thicknesses were quantified using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Results

The sample consisted of 23 controls and 73 diabetic subjects. Subjects with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) exhibited significant impairment of rod recovery rate compared with control subjects (P = 0.04). Cone sensitivity was impaired in subjects with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (type 1 diabetes mellitus [T1DM]: P = 0.0047; type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]: P < 0.001). Subjects with untreated PDR compared with subjects treated with PRP exhibited similar rod recovery rates and cone sensitivities. Thinner RPE as assessed by OCT was associated with slower rod recovery and lower cone sensitivity, and thinner photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment layer was associated with lower cone sensitivity.

Conclusions

The results suggest that RPE and photoreceptor cell dysfunction, as assessed by cone sensitivity level and rod- and RPE-mediated dark adaptation, progresses with worsening DR, and rod recovery dysfunction occurs earlier than cone dysfunction. Function was preserved following PRP. The findings suggest multiple defects in retinoid function and provide potential points to improve visual function in persons with PDR.

Rodent Hyperglycemia-Induced Inner Retinal Deficits are Mirrored in Human Diabetes

PURPOSE

To evaluate the utility of low luminance stimuli to functionally probe inner retinal rod pathways in the context of diabetes mellitus in both rat and human subjects.

METHODS

Inner retinal dysfunction was assessed using oscillatory potential (OP) delays in diabetic rats. Scotopic electroretinograms (ERGs) in response to a series of increasing flash luminances were recorded from streptozotocin (STZ)-treated and control Sprague-Dawley rats after 7, 14, 20, and 29 weeks of hyperglycemia. We then evaluated OP delays in human diabetic subjects with (DR) and without (DM) diabetic retinopathy using the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology in Vision (ISCEV) standard scotopic protocol and two additional dim test flashes.

RESULTS

Beginning 7 weeks after STZ, OP implicit times in diabetic rats were progressively delayed in response to dim, but not bright stimuli. In many diabetic subjects the standard ISCEV dim flash failed to illicit measureable OPs. However, OPs became measurable using a brighter, nonstandard dim flash (Test Flash 1, -1.43 log cd s/m²), and exhibited prolonged implicit times in the DM group compared with control subjects (CTRL).

CONCLUSIONS

Delays in scotopic OP implicit times are an early response to hyperglycemia in diabetic rats. A similar, inner retinal, rod-driven response was detected in diabetic human subjects without diabetic retinopathy, only when a nonstandard ISCEV flash intensity was employed during ERG testing.

TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE

The addition of a dim stimulus to standard ISCEV flashes with assessment of OP latency during ERG testing may provide a detection method for early retinal dysfunction in diabetic patients.

Incremental and decremental L- and M-cone-driven ERG responses: I. Square-wave pulse stimulation

Electroretinograms (ERGs) elicited by transient, square-wave L- and M-cone isolating stimuli were recorded from human trichromatic (n=19) and dichromatic (n=4) observers. The stimuli were generated on a four primary LED stimulator and were equated in terms of cone modulation (cone contrast=0.11) and retinal illuminance (12,000 trolands). L- and M-cone isolated ERGs had waveforms similar to those observed for luminance responses. However, M-cone ERGs exhibited a phase reversal in their responses to onset and offset stimuli relative to the L-cone responses. This on-off response reversal was observed in trichromats but not dichromats. Simultaneous counterphase and inphase combinations of L- and M-cone isolating stimuli generated responses that reflected chromatic and luminance processing, respectively. We conclude that L- and M-cone specific ERGs provide a measure of how photoreceptors contribute to postreceptoral mechanisms.

Plasma levels of IL-17, VEGF, and adrenomedullin and S-cone dysfunction of the retina in children and adolescents without signs of retinopathy and with varied duration of diabetes

The study objective was to assess chosen biochemical parameters of blood and bioelectric function of the retina in patients with T1DM. The study group consisted of 41 patients with T1DM with no signs of diabetic retinopathy. The control group included 21 pediatric patients. We performed (1) S-cone ERG testing with retina response stimulation in both eyes at the luminance of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 (cd × s/m²) with the 440 nm blue flash and light application of the amber background (300 ph cd/m², 495 nm wavelength), (2) anthropometric measurements, (3) biochemical investigations: IL-17, VEGF, and ADM by the ELISA method. A comparison of the ERG results with biochemical investigations indicates a likely correlation between the worsening of retinal bioelectric function and VEGF levels growing with diabetes duration. We showed a negative correlation between ADM and HbA1c and described possible causes of ADM reduction observed in subgroup I. We demonstrated the presence of bioelectric retinal dysfunction already before the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, which provides new possibilities in the diagnosis of preclinical chronic complications of diabetes. The changes observed in the levels of IL-17, ADM, and VEGF suggest their involvement in the diabetic pathogenesis of eye diseases.

Changes in frequency-doubling perimetry in patients with type I diabetes prior to retinopathy

PURPOSE

To evaluate the ability of frequency-doubling technology (FDT) perimetry in detecting visual field defects in young adults with type I diabetes prior to retinopathy or with minor retinovascular changes.

METHODS

This comparative cross-sectional study included 30 healthy subjects and 73 age-matched patients with type I diabetes mellitus. All subjects underwent a full ocular examination including an FDT with the threshold C-20-5 strategy. Only one eye per subject was randomly included in the statistical analysis. FDT results and time to perform the test were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

The mean age was 27.1 years in the control group and 26.6 years in the diabetic group (P = 0.875). The mean period from the onset of diabetes was 12.6 ± 6.7 years, while minimal retinovascular changes were observed in 18 eyes. Mean deviation of FDT did not differ between the groups. Although global indices of FDT were within normal limits, pattern standard deviation of FDT was higher in the diabetic group (P = 0.035). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.647 for pattern standard deviation of FDT (standard error = 0.052; P = 0.017).

CONCLUSION

FDT can detect retinal dysfunctions in diabetic patients prior to the onset of significant vascular complications.

Blue flash ERG PhNR changes associated with poor long-term glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

PURPOSE

To investigate the relationship between long-term glycemic control and photopic negative response (PhNR) changes in the blue flash ERG in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) without diabetic retinopathy (DR).

METHODS

After light adaptation, ERG responses to 1.60 cd·s/m(2) blue (420 nm) flashes (blue flash ERG) and 3.0 cd·s/m(2) white flashes (LA 3.0 ERG) were recorded in 22 patients (age range, 12 to 19 years) and 28 age-similar control subjects. The primary outcome measure was the amplitude of the PhNR. Secondary outcome measures were the amplitude and implicit time of the a-wave and b-wave. Multiple regression analyses were conducted with glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) values and the time since diagnosis of T1D as covariates.

RESULTS

Blue flash ERG PhNR amplitudes were reduced (P = 0.005) in patients compared with control subjects. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that a 1-unit increase in HbA(1c) was associated with a 15% decrease in the blue flash ERG PhNR amplitude (r = 0.61, P = 0.003). Compared with controls blue flash ERG a-waves (P = 0.03) and b-waves (P = 0.02) were delayed in patients but were not significantly associated with HbA(1c) or time since diagnosis of T1D. None of the ERG measures in the LA 3.0 ERG were significantly different in patients compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Poorer long-term glycemic control is associated with worsening inner retinal dysfunction involving short-wavelength cone pathways of adolescents with T1D and no clinically visible DR. Future studies are warranted to determine whether changes in the blue flash ERG PhNR are a predictive marker of subclinical DR.

Predominant cone photoreceptor dysfunction in a hyperglycaemic model of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Approximately 2.5 million people worldwide are clinically blind because of diabetic retinopathy. In the non-proliferative stage, the pathophysiology of this ocular manifestation of diabetes presents as morphological and functional disruption of the retinal vasculature, and dysfunction of retinal neurons. However, it is uncertain whether the vascular and neuronal changes are interdependent or independent events. In addition, the identity of the retinal neurons that are most susceptible to the hyperglycaemia associated with diabetes is unclear. Here, we characterise a novel model of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy in adult zebrafish, in which the zebrafish were subjected to oscillating hyperglycaemia for 30 days. Visual function is diminished in hyperglycaemic fish. Significantly, hyperglycaemia disrupts cone photoreceptor neurons the most, as evidenced by prominent morphological degeneration and dysfunctional cone-mediated electroretinograms. Disturbances in the morphological integrity of the blood-retinal barrier were also evident. However, we demonstrate that these early vascular changes are not sufficient to induce cone photoreceptor dysfunction, suggesting that the vascular and neuronal complications in diabetic retinopathy can arise independently. Current treatments for diabetic retinopathy target the vascular complications. Our data suggest that cone photoreceptor dysfunction is a clinical hallmark of diabetic retinopathy and that the debilitating blindness associated with diabetic retinopathy may be halted by neuroprotection of cones.