Faculty Collaboration Database

Interocular symmetry, intraobserver repeatability, and interobserver reliability of cone density measurements in the 13-lined ground squirrel. PLoS One 2019;14(9):e0223110

Date

09/27/2019

Pubmed ID

31557245

Pubmed Central ID

PMC6762077

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0223110

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85072655047 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   2 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The 13-lined ground squirrel (13-LGS) possesses a cone-dominant retina that is highly amenable to non-invasive high-resolution retinal imaging. The ability for longitudinal assessment of a cone-dominant photoreceptor mosaic with an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) has positioned the 13-LGS to become an accessible model for vision research. Here, we examine the interocular symmetry, repeatability, and reliability of cone density measurements in the 13-LGS.

METHODS: Thirteen 13-LGS (18 eyes) were imaged along the vertical meridian with a custom AOSLO. Regions of interest were selected superior and inferior to the optic nerve head, including the cone-rich visual streak. Non-confocal split-detection was used to capture images of the cone mosaic. Five masked observers each manually identified photoreceptors for 26 images three times and corrected an algorithm's cell identification outputs for all 214 images three times. Intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reliability of cone density were characterized using data collected from all five observers, while interocular symmetry was assessed in five animals using the average values of all observers. The distribution of image quality for all images in this study was assessed with open-sourced software.

RESULTS: Manual identification was less repeatable than semi-automated correction for four of the five observers. Excellent repeatability was seen from all observers (ICC = 0.997-0.999), and there was good agreement between repeat cell identification corrections in all five observers (range: 9.43-25.71 cells/degree2). Reliability of cell identification was significantly different in two of the five observers, and worst in images taken from hibernating 13-LGS. Interocular symmetry of cone density was seen in the five 13-LGS assessed. Image quality was variable between blur- and pixel intensity-based metrics.

CONCLUSIONS: Interocular symmetry with repeatable cone density measurements suggest that the 13-LGS is well-suited for longitudinal examination of the cone mosaic using split-detection AOSLO. Differences in reliability highlight the importance of observer training and automation of AOSLO cell detection. Cone density measurements from hibernating 13-LGS are not repeatable. Additional studies are warranted to assess other metrics of cone health to detect deviations from normal 13-LGS in future models of cone disorder in this species.

Author List

Sajdak BS, Salmon AE, Linderman RE, Cava JA, Heitkotter H, Carroll J

Author

Joseph J. Carroll PhD Director, Professor in the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Female
Male
Models, Animal
Ophthalmoscopes
Ophthalmoscopy
Reproducibility of Results
Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells
Sciuridae