NCT00812760

Effect of Levodopa on Human Multifocal Electroretinogram

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (actual)
• Sponsor: Medical University of Vienna · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 19 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

It is known that dopamine is a functional neuromodulator at several levels of the visual system. Dopamine seems to be involved in the organization of the ganglion cell and the bipolar cell receptive fields and modulation of physiological activity of photoreceptors. There is evidence for the functional significance of dopaminergic modulation of visual sensitivity in humans which confirms the hypothesis that dopamine plays an important role in retinal light adaptation as well as in motion and contrast sensitivity function. The electrophysiological effects of dopamine, various dopamine antagonist and levodopa in animals and humans have been investigated by means of visual evoked potentials and electroretinograms. The multifocal ERG technique, developed by Sutter et al. allows a rapid, simultaneous recording of focal ERGs from multiple retinal locations. Although this technique is relatively new, it has already provided insights into the mechanisms of retinal diseases (e.g. involvement of visual system in Parkinson disease), but until now there is no data on influence of dopaminergic substances on mERG.

Conditions

• Retinal Diseases

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	levodopa	1 tablet of 200 mg levodopa plus 50 mg benserazide

Timeline

• Start date: 2001-10-01
• Primary completion: 2003-10-01
• Completion: 2003-10-01
• First posted: 2008-12-22
• Last updated: 2008-12-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Austria