J Korean Med Sci.  2016 May;31(5):783-789. 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.5.783.

The Effects of Alcohol on Visual Evoked Potential and Multifocal Electroretinography

• Kim JT
• Yun CM
• Kim SW
• Oh J
• Huh K

• KMID: 2373678
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.5.783

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of ethanol administration on pattern-reversal visual evoked potential (VEP) and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG). Fifteen healthy subjects with no ocular or general disease were recruited. VEP (0.25° pattern sizes) and mfERG with 19 elements in two recording segments were performed before ethanol administration to obtain baseline for each participant. A few days later, the participants visited again for VEP and mfERG measurements after ethanol administration. Ethanol (0.75 g/kg) was administered orally over the course of 30 minutes. VEP and blood alcohol concentration were evaluated one hour after ethanol administration, and mfERG was conducted after pupil dilation. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare parameter changes after randomized eye selection. The mean blood alcohol concentration was 0.034% ± 0.05% by volume. VEP revealed a P100 latency delay (109.4 ± 5.3; 113.1 ± 8.2; P = 0.008) after alcohol administration. The P1 implicit time of ring 1 on mfERG showed a trend of shortening after alcohol administration (37.9 ± 1.0; 37.2 ± 1.5; P = 0.048). However, the changes did not show statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. In conclusion, orally administrated ethanol (0.75 g/kg) appears to suppress the central nervous system, but it is not clear whether alcohol intake affects the retina.

Keyword

Alcohol; Electroretinography; Visual Evoked Potential

MeSH Terms

Adult
*Alcohol Drinking
Electroretinography
Evoked Potentials, Visual/*physiology
Female
Humans
Male
Retina/physiology

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Representative mfERG recordings before (A) and after (B) alcohol administration. mfERG first-order kernel trace array with 19 elements (left upper row), ring traces from ring 1 to ring 3 (right upper row), P1 and N1 amplitude (Amp.P1 and Amp. N1), and P1 and N1 implicit times (PeT.P1 and PeT.N1) (lower row).

• 

  Fig. 2 Scatter plot of parameters of VEP and mfERG before versus after alcohol administration. VEP N75, P100, N135 latency, VEP N75-P100, P100-N135 amplitude before versus after alcohol administration (first row). P1 amplitude, P1 implicit time, N1 amplitude and N1 implicit time of mfERG Ring 1 (R1: second row), Ring 2 (R2: third row) and Ring 3 (R3: fourth row). Alc, alcohol; Lat, latency; Amp, amplitude; Imp, implicit time; R, ring; ms, mili-second; µV, micro-volt.

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