IGF1 and deafness: In addition, data from Igf-1–/– mutant mice (a model of human neurosensory syndromic deafness/blindness) indicated the gradual loss of ERGs, retinal morphology and significant loss of connectivity between photoreceptors and their synaptic partners (loss of bassoon and synaptophysin) while only small changes in the INL (Rodriguez-de la Rosa et al., 2012), highlighting the importance of IHG-1 pathway for photoreceptors and the need for IGF-1 in long-term photoreceptor-RPE cultures.