Transient increase of b-wave in the mouse retina after sodium iodate injection.

Twenty C57 black mice received an injection of 40 mg/kg of sodium iodate through the caudal vein. The electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded before and after injection. Flash stimuli with the maximum illuminance, 30,000 lux, were given at increasing levels of illuminance in 0.6 log U steps for 13 levels of intensity. The a- and b-wave amplitudes increased linearly with increased stimulus intensity for approximately 5.0 log U before being saturated. Twenty four hours after injection, the intensity-amplitude curve shifted toward the higher intensity region. It was calculated that the sensitivity loss of the b-wave after injection was 2.0 log U, although the maximum amplitude was larger and the peak latency was delayed. The same results were seen less obviously in the ERGs 48 hr after injection. After 96 hr, both waves were greatly attenuated and even abolished. At the time the increased ERGs were recorded, the histopathologic findings exhibited severe damage of the retina in the pigment epithelium and in the outer layer.