The scalp topogrphy of human visual evoked potentials

Regional variations distinguish auditory from visual evoked potentials in healthy 4 week old piglets

Objective.Evoked potentials (EP), measured using electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings provide an opportunity to monitor cognitive dysfunctions after neurological diseases or traumatic brain injury (TBI). The 4 week old piglet is an established model of paediatric TBI; therefore, healthy piglets were studied to establish feasibility of obtaining responses to auditory and visual stimuli. A secondary aim was to input the EEG data into a piglet computational model to localize the brain sources related to processing. We tested the hypotheses: (1) visual, auditory-standard, and auditory-target stimuli elicit responses, (2) there is an effect of stimulus type, day tested, and electrode region on EPs from EEG, (3) there is an effect of stimulus type, day tested, and brain region on localized sources from a computational model.Approach.Eleven 4 week old female piglets were fitted with a 32-electrode net and presented with a simple white light stimulus and an auditory oddball click train (70 standard; 30 target tones).Main results.N1 andP2 amplitudes were consistently observed for all stimulus types. Significant interaction effects between brain region and stimulus for EP and current density demonstrate that cognitive responses are specific to each modality with auditory localizing to the temporal region and visual to the occipital regions. There was a day effect where larger responses were found on the first day than day 2 and 3 and may be due to the novelty of the stimulus on the first day. Visual stimuli had largerP1 amplitudes and earlier latencies (P1,N1) than auditory which coincides with current density results at 50 ms where larger activations were observed for visual. At 85 ms, auditory had significantly larger current densities coincident with larger and longerN1 amplitudes and latencies than visual.Significance.Auditory and visual processing were successfully and consistently obtained in a porcine model and can be evaluated as a diagnostic assessment for TBI.

The simultaneous oddball: Oddball presentation does not affect simultaneity judgments

The oddball duration illusion describes how a rare or nonrepeated stimulus is perceived as lasting longer than a common or repeated stimulus. It has been argued that the oddball duration illusion could emerge because of an earlier perceived onset of an oddball stimulus. However, most methods used to assess the perceived duration of an oddball stimulus are ill suited to detect onset effects. Therefore, in the current article, I tested the perceived onset of oddball and standard stimuli using a simultaneity judgment task. In Experiments 1 and 2, repetition and rarity of the target stimulus were varied, and participants were required to judge whether the target stimulus and another stimulus were concurrent. In Experiment 3, I tested whether a brief initial stimulus could act as a conditioning stimulus in the oddball duration illusion. This was to ensure an oddball duration illusion could have occurred given the short duration of stimuli in the first two experiments. In both the first two experiments, I found moderate support for no onset-based difference between oddball and nonoddball stimuli. In Experiment 3, I found that a short conditioning stimulus could still lead to the oddball duration illusion occurring, removing this possible explanation for the null result. Experiment 4 showed that an oddball duration illusion could emerge given the rarity of the stimulus and a concurrent sound. In sum, the current article found evidence against an onset-based explanation of the oddball duration illusion.

Understanding event-related potentials (ERPs) in clinical and basic language and communication disorders research: a tutorial

BACKGROUND

Event-related potentials (ERPs), which are electrophysiological neural responses time-locked to a stimulus, have become an increasingly common tool in language and communication disorders research. They can provide complementary evidence to behavioural measures as well as unique perspectives on communication disorders. ERPs have the distinct advantage of providing precise information about the timing of neural processes and can be used in cases where it is difficult to obtain responses from participants, such as infants or individuals who are minimally verbal. However, clinicians and clinician-scientists rarely receive training in how to interpret ERP research.

AIMS

To provide information that allows readers to better understand, interpret and evaluate research using ERPs. We focus on research related to communication sciences and disorders and the information that is most relevant to interpreting research articles.

METHOD

We explain what ERPs are and how ERP data are collected, referencing key texts and primary research articles. Potential threats to validity, guidelines for interpreting data, and the pros and cons using of ERPs are discussed. Research in the area of paediatric language disorders is used as a model; common paradigms such as the semantic incongruity N400 and auditory mismatch negativity are used as tangible examples. With this foundation of understanding ERPs, the state of the field in terms of how ERPs are used and the ways they may inform the field are discussed.

MAIN CONTRIBUTION

To date, no review has focused on ERPs as they relate to clinical or communication research. The main contribution of this review is that it provides practical information geared toward understanding ERP research.

CONCLUSIONS

ERPs offer insights into neural processes supporting communication and can both complement behaviour and provide information that behavioural measures cannot. We encourage readers to evaluate articles using ERPs critically, effectively pushing the field forward through increased understanding and rigor. What this paper adds ERPs have become more prevalent in research relevant to communication sciences and disorders. In order for clinicians to review and evaluate this research, an understanding of ERPs is needed. This review adds to the field by providing an accessible description of what ERPs are, a description of what ERP components are, and the most relevant commonly used components, as well as how ERP data are recorded and processed. With this foundational understanding of how ERPs work, guidelines for the interpretation of ERP data are given. Though few ERP studies currently have direct implications for clinical practice, we discuss several ways through which ERPs can impact clinical practice in future, by providing information that cannot be obtained by behaviour alone about the aetiology of disorders, and as potential biomarkers of disorder or treatment response.

Duration perception in crossmodally-defined intervals

How humans perform duration judgments with multisensory stimuli is an ongoing debate. Here, we investigated how sub-second duration judgments are achieved by asking participants to compare the duration of a continuous sound to the duration of an empty interval in which onset and offset were marked by signals of different modalities using all combinations of visual, auditory and tactile stimuli. The pattern of perceived durations across five stimulus durations (ranging from 100 ms to 900 ms) follows the Vierordt Law. Furthermore, intervals with a sound as onset (audio-visual, audio-tactile) are perceived longer than intervals with a sound as offset. No modality ordering effect is found for visualtactile intervals. To infer whether a single modality-independent or multiple modality-dependent time-keeping mechanisms exist we tested whether perceived duration follows a summative or a multiplicative distortion pattern by fitting a model to all modality combinations and durations. The results confirm that perceived duration depends on sensory latency (summative distortion). Instead, we did not find evidence for multiplicative distortions. The results of the model and the behavioural data support the concept of a single time-keeping mechanism that allows for judgments of durations marked by multisensory stimuli.

Motor-sensory recalibration modulates perceived simultaneity of cross-modal events at different distances

A popular model for the representation of time in the brain posits the existence of a single, central-clock. In that framework, temporal distortions in perception are explained by contracting or expanding time over a given interval. We here present evidence for an alternative account, one which proposes multiple independent timelines coexisting within the brain and stresses the importance of motor predictions and causal inferences in constructing our temporal representation of the world. Participants judged the simultaneity of a beep and flash coming from a single source at different distances. The beep was always presented at a constant delay after a motor action, while the flash occurred at a variable delay. Independent shifts in the implied timing of the auditory stimulus toward the motor action (but not the visual stimulus) provided evidence against a central-clock model. Additionally, the hypothesis that the time between action and delayed effect is compressed (known as intentional binding) seems unable to explain our results: firstly, because actions and effects can perceptually reverse, and secondly because the recalibration of simultaneity remains even after the participant's intentional actions are no longer present. Contrary to previous reports, we also find that participants are unable to use distance cues to compensate for the relatively slower speed of sound when audio-visual events are presented in depth. When a motor act is used to control the distal event, however, adaptation to the delayed auditory signal occurs and subjective cross-sensory synchrony is maintained. These results support the hypothesis that perceptual timing derives from and is calibrated by our motor interactions with the world.

The role of attention in auditory information processing as revealed by event-related potentials and other brain measures of cognitive function

This article examines the role of attention and automaticity in auditory processing as revealed by event-related potential (ERP) research. An ERP component called the mismatch negativity, generated by the brain's automatic response to changes in repetitive auditory input, reveals that physical features of auditory stimuli are fully processed whether or not they are attended. It also suggests that there exist precise neuronal representations of the physical features of recent auditory stimuli, perhaps the traces underlying acoustic sensory (“echoic”) memory. A mechanism of passive attention switching in response to changes in repetitive input is also implicated.

Conscious perception of discrete acoustic stimuli might be mediated by some of the mechanisms underlying another ERP component (NI), one sensitive to stimulus onset and offset. Frequent passive attentional shifts might accountforthe effect cognitive psychologists describe as “the breakthrough of the unattended” (Broadbent 1982), that is, that even unattended stimuli may be semantically processed, without assuming automatic semantic processing or late selection in selective attention.

The processing negativity supports the early-selection theory and may arise from a mechanism for selectively attending to stimuli defined by certain features. This stimulus selection occurs in the form ofa matching process in which each input is compared with the “attentional trace,” a voluntarily maintained representation of the task-relevant features of the stimulus to be attended. The attentional mechanism described might underlie the stimulus-set mode of attention proposed by Broadbent. Finally, a model of automatic and attentional processing in audition is proposed that is based mainly on the aforementioned ERP components and some other physiological measures.

[Multimodal evoked potential abnormalities in patients with Wilson's disease]

The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of the following functional systems: somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), visual evoked potentials (VEP), and event related potentials (ERP), in twenty patients with Wilson's disease (WD). VEP and SSEP abnormalities were discovered in 8 patients respectively (40%), whereas ERP were either absent or, in the case of 10 patients (50%), had significantly prolonged P-300 latencies. Taken together, at least one evoked potential abnormality was discovered in 17 patients (85%). Only in 3 patients (15%), involving either the isolated hepatic type of disease or short illness duration of the neurological type, were normal evoked potential findings observed. Our findings suggest the usefulness of multimodal evoked potential abnormalities in the evaluation of subclinical manifestations in patients with WD.

Timing of early activity in the visual cortex as revealed by simultaneous MEG and ERG recordings

To clarify the latency of the earliest cortical activity in visual processing, electroretinograms (ERGs) and visual evoked magnetic fields (VEFs) following flash stimulation were recorded simultaneously in six human subjects. Flash stimuli were applied to the right eye and ERGs were recorded from a skin electrode placed on the lower lid. ERGs showed two major deflections in all subjects: an eyelid-negativity around 20 ms and a positivity around 60 ms corresponding to an a- and b-waves, respectively. The mean onset and peak latency of the earliest component of VEFs (37 M) was 30.2 and 36.9 ms, respectively. There was a linear correlation between the peak latency of the a-wave and the onset latency of the 37 M (r=0.90, P=0.011). When a single equivalent current dipole analysis was applied to the 37 M, four out of six subjects showed highly reliable results. The generator of the 37 M was estimated to be located in the striate cortex in all four subjects. Since post-receptoral activities in the retina are expected to start around the peak of the a-wave (20 ms), the early cortical activity, which appears 10 ms later than the a-wave peak, is considered to be the earliest cortical activity following flash stimulation.

High gamma activity in response to deviant auditory stimuli recorded directly from human cortex

We recorded electrophysiological responses from the left frontal and temporal cortex of awake neurosurgical patients to both repetitive background and rare deviant auditory stimuli. Prominent sensory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from auditory association cortex of the temporal lobe and adjacent regions surrounding the posterior Sylvian fissure. Deviant stimuli generated an additional longer latency mismatch response, maximal at more anterior temporal lobe sites. We found low gamma (30-60 Hz) in auditory association cortex, and we also show the existence of high-frequency oscillations above the traditional gamma range (high gamma, 60-250 Hz). Sensory and mismatch potentials were not reliably observed at frontal recording sites. We suggest that the high gamma oscillations are sensory-induced neocortical ripples, similar in physiological origin to the well-studied ripples of the hippocampus.

High-frequency oscillations in human visual cortex do not mirror retinal frequencies

Flash stimulation elicits oscillatory responses above 100 Hz in human visual cortex. It has been proposed that these are the result of retinal oscillations being directly relayed through the visual pathway to area V1. Experimental evidence, however, is scarce and contradictory. To address this issue, we performed a time-frequency analysis of simultaneously recorded retinal and cortical potentials. Matching frequencies would support the assumption of a direct relationship between retinal and cortical activities. In 4 of 7 subjects the frequency was significantly lower in the cortex than in the retina and in one subject it was significantly higher. The differences were in the range of 10-34 Hz and suggest that the cortical oscillations are not a simple echo of their retinal counterparts.

Effects of a photic input on the human cortico-motoneuron connection

OBJECTIVES

Disease manifestations such as photic cortical reflex myoclonus or myoclonus due to intermittent light stimulation rely on a pathologic interaction between non-structured visual inputs and the corticospinal system. We wanted to assess the normal interaction, if any, between a prior photic input and the output of the cortico-motoneuron connection.

METHODS

In 9 consenting healthy subjects we quantified the changes exerted by a sudden, unexpected bright light flash on (i) the motor potentials (MEPs) evoked in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle (FDI) by transcranial magnetic or electrical stimulation (TMS/TES) of the primary motor cortex, (ii) the FDI F-waves and (iii) the soleus H-wave. Separately, we measured the simple reaction times to the flash itself. All determinations were repeated twice with an interval of 2-24 months.

RESULTS

When the flash preceded TMS by 55-70 ms, the MEP size was reduced, while at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 90-130 ms it was enlarged. Statistical significance (P<0.05) emerged at ISIs of 55, 70, 100, 105 and 120 ms. Conversely, the MEP latency was prolonged at ISIs of 55-70 ms and shortened at ISIs of 90-130 ms (P<0.05 at ISIs of 55, 110 and 130 ms). Electrical MEPs were enhanced at an ISI of 120 ms. The F-wave size showed a non-significant trend of enhancement at ISIs of 90-130 ms. The soleus H-wave showed significant enlargement at ISIs of 90-130 ms (P<0.05 at ISIs of 100 and 105 ms). The minimum reaction time was on average 120 ms.

CONCLUSIONS

An unexpected photic input, to which no reaction is planned, can cause an early inhibition of the responses to TMS. We think its origin lies within the primary motor cortex, since it is not associated with changes in spinal excitability or electrical MEPs. A later facilitation persists using TES and has a temporal relationship with an enlargement of the soleus H-wave. Thus, it likely results from activation of descending (possibly reticulospinal) fibers that excite the spinal motor nucleus.

Hochfrequente oszillatorische Aktivitäten im menschlichen Gehirn

Zusammenfassung. Tierexperimentelle Befunde zu synchronisierten oszillatorischen neuronalen Aktivitäten im Bereich über 20 Hertz, dem Gammaband, wurden als der neuronale Mechanismus der kortikalen Objektrepräsentation interpretiert. Diese Arbeiten haben zunehmend experimentelle Ansätze zu diesen Aktivitäten im menschlichen Gehirn stimuliert. In der vorliegenden Übersichtsarbeit wird der gegenwärtige Stand der Forschung zusammengefaßt. Dabei liegt der Schwerpunkt bei der Darstellung von evozierten und induzierten Gammabandaktivitäten vor allem in der akustischen und visuellen Modalität. Die Rolle dieser Gehirnantworten bei perzeptuellen Prozessen, bei der Merkmalsintegration und sprachlichen Prozessen wird dargestellt. Ebenfalls wird die aufmerksamkeitsbezogene Modulation der spektralen Gammabandleistung im menschlichen EEG beschrieben. Im Gegensatz zu evozierten Gammabandaktivitäten die gleich nach Präsentation des Stimulus auftreten, haben induzierte Gammabandaktivitäten eine Latenz von 200 bis 400 ms und konnten im Bereich von 30 bis 95 Hz gefunden werden. Aufgrund der konsistenten Befunde kann zum heutigen Tage geschlußfolgert werden, daß diese Aktivitäten mit neuronaler Informationsverarbeitung und Gedächtnisprozessen korreliert sind. Die Befunde werden vor dem Hintergrund verschiedener funktionaler Modelle diskutiert.

Short latency visual evoked potentials in occupational exposure to organic solvents

OBJECTIVES

Short latency visual evoked potentials (SVEP), in response to high-intensity flashes from light emitting diodes (LED), were used to detect subclinical effects along the visual pathway in four groups of subjects with different levels of exposure to gasoline, all within legally acceptable limits.

METHODS

Potentials and exposure levels were obtained from 31 subjects with different occupational exposure levels to gasoline fumes, as well as from 17 non-exposed control subjects. SVEP were recorded from four electrode sites (infra-orbital, Cz, Pz, Oz), in response to flashes presented to each eye in turn from goggle-mounted LEDs. SVEP components were defined after digital filtering, which eliminated the high-frequency oscillatory potentials and accentuated five major components: a periocular P30, attributed to the retina; a fronto-central N50, attributed to the optic nerve; centro-parietal P65 and N85, attributed to the optic tracts and radiation; and an occipital, cortical P105.

RESULTS

The latencies of successive SVEP components of the exposed subjects showed a significant latency prolongation compared to controls, beginning with activity attributed to the optic nerve and increasing cumulatively with the later components. Retinal components were not affected by the exposure to organic solvents. Among the exposed groups, differences in latency prolongation corresponded to occupational exposure.

CONCLUSION

The low-frequency components of SVEP were reliably measured and proved to be sensitive to subclinical effects of organic solvents on conduction along the visual pathway. These components are likely to be sensitive to other subcortical visual pathway lesions, but their clinical promise needs further verification.

Visual evoked oscillatory responses of the human optic tract

Optic tract oscillatory responses directly recorded during posteroventral pallidotomy were investigated to reveal their features with respect to extracranially recorded visual oscillations and to clarify their contributions to scalp-recorded or far-field visual evoked potentials. Oscillatory responses of the optic tract consisting of early and subsequent late oscillations were recorded in all patients. Early oscillations consist of five negative and positive peaks, and late oscillations consist of two to four negative and positive peaks. The frequency of the first peak of early oscillations (103.0+/-9.2 Hz, n = 14) was significantly lower than that of others (t test, P<0.006), but there were no significant differences among other peaks (t test, P>0.4). This difference was not observed among peaks of late oscillations (t test, P>0.3). As a whole, the frequency of early oscillations (123.9+/-16.7 Hz, n = 70) was significantly higher than that of late oscillations (66.3+/-13.7 Hz, n = 41) (t test, P = 0.0001). Intracerebral recording of the optic responses with the same band filter of scalp-recorded visual evoked potentials (10 Hz to 1 KHz) showed prominent negative (No) and positive (Po) waves, whereas responses obtained over the scalp at Oz and Cz consisted of negative (NI), positive (PI), negative (NII), and positive (PII) waves. Comparisons between No and PI and Po and NII showed overall phase reversal relations between them, but there were significantly different peak latencies between them (t test, P<0.001) except that between Po (116.7+/-11.7 msec, n = 5) and NII of Cz recording (118.4+/-9.4 msec, n = 5) (t test, P<0.3). Our study in conjunction with other studies on visual oscillations revealed that a relatively constant frequency of oscillations is traveling in the subcortical visual system and is probably playing an important role in generating stationary or fixed peaks of the far-field potentials of visual evoked potentials.

Serial processing of the somesthetic information revealed by different effects of stimulus rate on the somatosensory-evoked potentials and magnetic fields

In order to evaluate information processing in the somatosensory cortex, the effect of two different stimulus rates was investigated by simultaneously recording somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and magnetic fields (SEFs) in nine healthy adults. During electric stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist, SEFs were recorded with the helmet-shaped whole-head coverage magnetometer array with 122 first-order planar gradiometers while SEPs were simultaneously recorded from seven scalp positions. Interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 0.9 s and 4 s were compared. In all subjects, N20 as well as its magnetic counterpart, N20m, was clearly demonstrated over the contralateral somatosensory area. Subsequent deflections around 80-200 ms did not make any clear peak and were smaller than those at 20-60 ms (P30m, P40m, N50m and P60m). After 200 ms, SEFs were negligible, whereas SEPs had larger amplitude than those of shorter latencies, constituting a peak around 250 ms (P250). Both SEF and SEP deflections later than 40 ms were decreased in responses at the shorter ISI; this diminution was most prominent for P250. Therefore, it is concluded that the tangential currents in the somatosensory cortex (area 3b) mainly contribute to responses during the first 200 ms after the stimulus, whereas the radially oriented currents (most likely in the crown of the postcentral gyrus) take over for subsequent information processing.

Homonymous Bilateral Hemianopsia: Electrophysiological Study of a Case

Described is a case of bilateral homonymous hemianopsia with macular sparing, resulting from head trauma. The case presented lesions of the occipital visual areas which involved entirely the left hemisphere and only partially the right hemisphere. VEP were obtainable only from electrodes placed on the right hemisphere with both right eye and left eye stimulation. VEP mapping showed that each eye projects macular fibres towards functional areas of the right occipital hemisphere.

Electrophysiological examination confirmed objectively and for the first time in man the theory of “double cortical macular representation”.

Clinical implications of this finding are discussed.

Short latency visual evoked potentials to flashes from light-emitting diodes

Short latency visual evoked potentials (SVEPs) have been described in response to high-intensity, strobe flashes. High-intensity flashes can now be generated from goggle-mounted light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the SVEPs to such flashes have been shown to be reproducible across subjects, avoiding photic spread to the examination room and acoustical artifacts from the strobe stimulator. In this study, SVEPs from multichannel records are described in terms of normative latencies and amplitudes, as well as scalp distributions, to explore their generators. Potentials were recorded from 10 young male subjects, from 16 scalp locations, in response to flashes from goggle-mounted LEDs. Flashes were presented to each eye in turn, as well as binocularly. The latencies, scalp distributions and intersubject variabilities of the LED evoked SVEPs were similar to those obtained with strobe flashes. SVEP components were divided into 3 groups, according to their latency and the electrodes at which they were recorded with the largest amplitudes: periocular (under 40 msec latency), fronto-central (40-55 msec) and parieto-occipital (55-80 msec latency). The scalp distributions observed in this study suggest subcortical generators along the visual pathway, beginning at the retina. The use of goggle-mounted LEDs should promote routine evaluation of the integrity of the visual pathway between retina and cortex using SVEPs.

Effects of an acute dose of palm alcohol on normal brain functioning: an auditory, event-related-potential study

The effects of an acute and high dose of palm alcohol (900 mg/kg bodyweight) on brain functioning were investigated in 10 healthy, non-alcoholic men. Each was given randomly-interspaced, paired, frequent standard (80%) and rare target auditory stimuli and asked to detect and signal the target tone by pressing a push button. These brain function tests were carried out before (control) and 1 and 4 h after the subjects began drinking the alcohol. During each experimental session, late, event-related-potential (ERP) components were recorded at the central midline scalp location (Cz). At both times after alcoholization, contingent negative variations and late auditory ERP were lower than those recorded during the control session. Maximal amplitude reduction for N1 and P3 waves was seen 240 min after ingesting alcohol. Reaction times were not significantly longer than those recorded pre-alcoholization but performances were lower at both times post-alcoholization. The results are consistent with the ERP changes reported in subjects under acute ethanol intoxication but they are more pronounced and probably reflect a momentary disruption of central processes rather than sensory impairment at the peripheral level.

A high-intensity, goggle-mounted flash stimulator for short-latency visual evoked potentials

The few studies that have been done on short-latency, subcortical visual evoked potentials (SVEPs) have all used stroboscopic flashes as the evoking stimulus. The dimensions of the stimulator, the acoustical artifacts and the photic spread to the examination room limited the use of SVEPs to research laboratories. With the advent of high-efficiency light-emitting diodes (LEDs), high-intensity flashes can now be generated from goggle-mounted LEDs. In this study, a goggle-mounted high-intensity stimulator was constructed and its flashes used to evoke SVEPs. The reproducibility of SVEPs across subjects and the ease of using the high-intensity LED flash stimulator make them a promising candidate for testing subcortical visual pathway function in the operating room.

Topography of alpha and theta oscillatory responses upon auditory and visual stimuli in humans

Brain resonance phenomena and induced rhythms in the brain recently gained importance in electroencephalographic, magnetoencephalographic and cellular studies (Başar and Bullock 1992). It was hypothesized that evoked potentials are superpositions of induced rhythms caused by resonance phenomena in neural populations (Başar et al. 1992). According to Başar (1972), such resonance phenomena are reflected in the main peaks of the amplitude frequency characteristics computed from EEG responses. The present study is based on a frequency domain approach for the evaluation of topography- and modality-dependent properties of oscillatory brain responses. EEG and evoked potentials were recorded from vertex, parietal and occipital scalp locations in 24 volunteers. Two combined methods were applied: (1) amplitude frequency characteristics were computed from the transient evoked responses, and (2) frequency components of the transient responses were obtained by adaptive digital filtering. Our main goal was to investigate theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha (8-15 Hz) response components. (1) Amplitude frequency characteristics. Auditory stimuli elicited theta-alpha compound responses in the 4-11 Hz frequency band (e.g. typical peaking frequency around 7 Hz for vertex recordings). Visual stimuli elicited alpha responses (e.g. typical peaking frequency for vertex recordings around 9-12 Hz). Frequency maxima for visual stimuli thus had main peaks at higher frequency values than frequency maxima for auditory stimuli. (2) Digital filtering confirmed these results: for vertex recordings, theta vs. alpha response amplitudes were 9 muV vs 6 muV for auditory stimuli and 5 muV vs 5 muV for visual stimuli, thus confirming a shift towards higher frequencies, i.e. a more prominent contribution of the alpha range, in the case of visual stimulation. We hypothesize that these properties might reflect site- and modality-specific features of stimulus encoding in the brain in which resonance properties of neuron populations are involved. Furthermore we emphasize the utility of the systems theory approach for a better understanding of brain function by means of EPs.

Oscillatory potentials of visual evoked potentials using source derivation technique in rabbits

The topographic distribution of epidurally recorded flashed visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in unanesthetized rabbits was studied using 2 montages. VEPs with linked ears reference and source derivation were compared. With the linked-ears reference, N34 of VEPs which consisted of slow potentials and superimposed oscillations were recorded diffusely over the head. When source derivation was used, the slow negative potentials of N34 present on the recordings in P3 and P4 were not obtained in F3, Fz and F4. In a digital filtering study of the oscillatory potentials, N34 in oscillatory potentials which were recorded diffusely over the head were localized to the visual cortex by source derivation. It was concluded that N34 in the oscillatory potentials generated from the visual cortex are enhanced and localized with source derivation.

Subcortical contributions to the surface-recorded flash-VEP in the awake macaque

Epidural mapping of flash-VEP in awake monkeys revealed a reliable, short latency negativity, N25 (onset: 18-22 msec; peak: 23-27 msec; duration: 15-20 msec), with a broad frontal surface distribution (frontolateral maximum). N25 was dissociable from the electroretinogram (ERG), from cortical VEP and from the high frequency oscillations (wavelets) coextensive with the ERG and with cortical VEP. Depth recordings traced N25 from its surface maximum down to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Concomitant VEP, current source density (CSD) and multiunit activity (MUA) profiles obtained with multicontact electrodes showed that the peak and later portion of N25 arise primarily from current sinks (associated with MUA increases) that reflect transmembrane current flow attending depolarization of cells in lamina 6, the uppermost lamina, but may also receive contributions from the more ventral LGN laminae. The initial portion of N25 arises from similar processes near the lamina 3/2 border. Wavelets, in contrast, are prominent in VEP, CSD and MUA within LGN, but attenuate rapidly above LGN. LGN laminar and cellular morphology predict volume conduction of N25 over a wide arc lateral and anterior to LGN and roughly horizontal isopotential planes medial and posterior to LGN. Recordings on the brain surface, within LGN, and in the regions surrounding LGN are consistent with these predictions. Possible contributions from other structures and how these results fit with data obtained in humans are considered.

Topographic analysis of visual evoked potentials from flash and pattern reversal stimuli: evidence for "travelling waves"

In this mapping study of the entire scalp area, the responses to flash (FL) and pattern reversal (PR) stimuli were studied in 34 normal subjects. The N70, P100, N135 and P180 were similar from both stimuli but with some differences in amplitude and latency, especially the variability of the latency of P100 from FL. A polarity inversion was usually seen for all components, especially at opposite ends of the scalp and a zero-potential was noted for all four components near Cz Pz. Evidence is seen that the frontal N100 is likely not the other end of a dipole involving the posterior P100. Lateral components as P120, N150 and N200 were also described. The major finding was evidence of "travelling" waves that appear to move in both the AP and PA directions throughout the scalp that eventually arrive on the posterior regions and appear as N70, P100, N135 and P180.

The effect of the phase of prestimulus alpha activity on the averaged visual evoked response

The relationship between the latencies and amplitudes of the N1 and P2 components of the averaged visual evoked potential (EP) and the phase of the alpha activity immediately preceding the time of the stimulus, has been investigated in 7 male subjects. Low intensity flashes, delivered randomly between 2 and 6 whole seconds, were used as the stimuli. The phase angle of the EEG at the moment of stimulation was computed for all trials containing more than 100 microV2 of prestimulus alpha power. The single trials were grouped into 8 classes on the basis of the phase angle value, and averaged EPs for each individual were computed from these groups. In addition, averaged EPs were computed in 3 ways: (1) a grand average consisting of all artifact-free trials, (2) an 'alpha average' consisting of all trials containing more than 100 microV2 of prestimulus alpha power, and (3) a 'non-alpha average' consisting of all trials with less than 100 microV2 of prestimulus alpha power. Each of these 3 averages were cross-correlated with the phase-selective averages. It was found that the particular N1 component assessed in this experiment may possibly be entrained alpha activity, and that the measured P2 component is not an alpha process, yet it is influenced by the amount of prestimulus alpha activity.