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Updated: Dec 14, 2025
Electroretinogram Analysis of the Visual Response in Zebrafish Larvae
Published on: March 16, 2015
Electroretinogram analysis of zebrafish retinal function across development
Nathan J Nadolski1, Casey X L Wong2,3, Jennifer C Hocking4,5,6,7
1Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Purpose:
The electroretinogram (ERG) is a powerful approach for investigating visual function in zebrafish ocular disease models. However, complexity, cost, and a literature gap present as significant barriers for the introduction of this technology to new zebrafish laboratories. Here, we introduce a simplified and effective method to obtain zebrafish ERGs.
Methods:
In-house assembled recording electrodes and a custom 3D-printed platform were used to gather high-quality and consistent ERG data from zebrafish at 3 developmental timepoints-larval, juvenile, and adult. Fish were tested under both scotopic (dark-adapted) and photopic (light-adapted) conditions to differentiate between the rod and cone systems, respectively.
Results:
Robust ERG waveforms across all developmental timepoints were obtained using the methodology presented here. We observed an overall increase in signal amplitude as development progressed, reflecting maturation of the zebrafish retina. Oscillatory potentials could also be isolated from the generated waveforms.
Conclusions:
This simplified approach to the zebrafish ERG can generate waveforms comparable to the existing approaches and helps reduce barriers for zebrafish laboratories studying ocular development and disease.
