TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on the Visual System of Monkeys Measured at Different Stages of Development
AU - Harrar, Vanessa
AU - Elkrief, Laurent
AU - Bouskila, Joseph
AU - Kucera, Ryan
AU - Fink-Jensen, Anders
AU - Bouchard, Jean François
AU - Palmour, Roberta
AU - Ptito, Maurice
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - PURPOSE. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a developmental disease characterized by behavioral problems and physical defects including malformations of the eye and associated optical defects. How these malformations affect retinal functioning is not well known, although animal models have suggested that scotopic vision is particularly deficient. Age is also known to affect scotopic vision. Here, we determined the combined effects of age and fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) on retinal function using full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) in monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). METHODS. ERGs were recorded in monkeys aged 3- to 12-years old, at multiple flash intensities under scotopic and photopic conditions, and functions were fit to the amplitudes of the aand b-waves. RESULTS. We found that both age and alcohol exposure affected ERGs. In photopic ERGs, amplitudes increased with age, and were higher in FAEs than controls, for data related to the OFF- and ON-pathways. In scotopic ERGs, amplitudes were decreased in young FAE compared with age-matched controls but only for the rod-dominated responses, while at brighter flashes, alcohol exposure led to an increase in the amplitude of the a- and b-waves. CONCLUSIONS. The ERGs from the FAE animals closely resembled the data from the older sucrose-control monkeys. This suggests that the FAE monkey retina ages more quickly than the control monkeys. This large sample of nonhuman primates, with carefully monitored ethanol exposure, demonstrates the critical interplay between age and alcohol when assessing the integrity of the retina. We suggest that ERGs might be an important adjunct to diagnosing human FASD.
AB - PURPOSE. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a developmental disease characterized by behavioral problems and physical defects including malformations of the eye and associated optical defects. How these malformations affect retinal functioning is not well known, although animal models have suggested that scotopic vision is particularly deficient. Age is also known to affect scotopic vision. Here, we determined the combined effects of age and fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) on retinal function using full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) in monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). METHODS. ERGs were recorded in monkeys aged 3- to 12-years old, at multiple flash intensities under scotopic and photopic conditions, and functions were fit to the amplitudes of the aand b-waves. RESULTS. We found that both age and alcohol exposure affected ERGs. In photopic ERGs, amplitudes increased with age, and were higher in FAEs than controls, for data related to the OFF- and ON-pathways. In scotopic ERGs, amplitudes were decreased in young FAE compared with age-matched controls but only for the rod-dominated responses, while at brighter flashes, alcohol exposure led to an increase in the amplitude of the a- and b-waves. CONCLUSIONS. The ERGs from the FAE animals closely resembled the data from the older sucrose-control monkeys. This suggests that the FAE monkey retina ages more quickly than the control monkeys. This large sample of nonhuman primates, with carefully monitored ethanol exposure, demonstrates the critical interplay between age and alcohol when assessing the integrity of the retina. We suggest that ERGs might be an important adjunct to diagnosing human FASD.
KW - Aging
KW - Alcohol
KW - Electroretinography
KW - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
KW - Photopic
KW - Scotopic
U2 - 10.1167/iovs.17-22181
DO - 10.1167/iovs.17-22181
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 29242902
AN - SCOPUS:85038373485
SN - 0146-0404
VL - 58
SP - 6282
EP - 6291
JO - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
JF - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
IS - 14
ER -
