啮齿类动物的行为学视力测试方法

A review of behavioral visual acuity tests for rodents

啮齿类动物(大鼠、小鼠、豚鼠等)被广泛应用于视觉研究领域,动物视觉疾病模型的研究离不开视功能的检测。目前国际上认可的动物视力测试方法包括电生理学视锐度测试和行为学视锐度测试,这两类方法都有其优点和局限性。电生理学视力测试方法(视觉诱发电位)具有侵入性,电极植入后需要恢复时间,并且所测得的视锐度值仅反映单细胞的电活动或神经核团的场电位,不能从整体水平反映动物的视觉功能,而行为学视力测试方法可弥补上述缺陷,故广泛运用于啮齿类动物的视锐度测量中。本文就啮齿类动物行为学视力测试方法进行综述。

Rodents have been used widely in the research of eye diseases to study visual function in animal models.Two methods of visual acuity testing in animals have been internationally recognized:the electrophysiological visual acuity test and the behavioral visual acuity test.Both of these methods have their advantages and limitations.The electrophysiology test(visual evoked potential)is invasive,and animals need recovery time after being implanted with electrodes.Also,the electrophysiological visual acuity test only reflects the electrical activity of a single cell or nuclei,it does not reflect the overall visual function of the animal.The widely used behavioral visual acuity test is able to compensate for these limitations.This paper gives a brief overview of the methods of the behavioral visual acuity test for rodents(rats,mice,guinea pigs,etc.).