Two studies on the amplitude, latency, and waveform of human visual evoked responses to the onset of sine-wave grating patterns were made. Results indicated that the peak latencies of both early and late waves were a function of the spatial frequency of the stimulus. The amplitude of the early wave (N1−P1) was consistently greatest at low spatial frequencies while the late wave (N2−P2) showed consistent attenuation at low spatial frequencies. In addition the location of the peak amplitude response of the late, but not the early, wave depended on the location (macular versus extramacular) and area (small versus large stimulus field) of retina stimulated. These findings are discussed in the light of evidence for separate transient and sustained systems within the human visual system.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArmingtonJ CCorwinT RMarsettaR, 1971“Simultaneously recorded retinal and cortical responses to patterned stimuli”Journal of the Optical Society of America611514–1521
2.
BlakemoreC BCampbellF W, 1969“On the existence of neurons in the human visual system selectively sensitive to the orientation and size of retinal images”Journal of Physiology (London)203237–260
3.
BreitmeyerB G, 1975“Simple reaction times as a measure of the temporal response properties of transient and sustained channels”Vision Research151411–1412
4.
CampbellF WGreenD G, 1965“Optical and retinal factors affecting visual resolution”Journal of Physiology (London)181576–583
5.
CampbellF WKulikowskiJ J, 1972“The visual evoked potential as a function of contrast of a grating pattern”Journal of Physiology (London)222345–356
6.
CampbellF WMaffeiL, 1970“Electrophysiological evidence for the existence of orientation and size detectors in the human visual system”Journal of Physiology (London)207635–652
7.
DavidsonM, 1968“Perturbation approach to spatial brightness interaction in human vision”Journal of the Optical Society of America581300–1308
8.
Enroth-CugellCRobsonJ G, 1966“The contrast sensitivity of retinal ganglion cells of the cat”Journal of Physiology (London)187517–552
9.
GourasP, 1968“Identification of cone mechanisms in monkey ganglion cells”Journal of Physiology (London)199533–547
10.
HarterM R, 1970“Evoked cortical responses to checkerboard patterns: effect of check-size as a function of retinal eccentricity”Vision Research101365–1376
11.
HarterM RWhiteC T, 1970“Evoked cortical responses to checkerboard patterns: effects of check-size as a function of visual acuity”Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology2848–54
12.
HilzRCavoniusC R, 1974“Functional organization of the peripheral retina: sensitivity to periodic stimuli”Vision Research141333–1337
13.
IkedaHWrightM J, 1974“Evidence for ‘sustained’ and ‘transient’ neurones in the cat's visual cortex”Vision Research14133–136
14.
JacobsG H, 1969“Receptive fields in visual systems”Brain Research14553–573
15.
JamesC RJeffreysD A, 1975“Properties of individual components of pattern-onset evoked potentials in man”Journal of Physiology (London)25757P
16.
JeffreysD AAxfordJ G, 1972a“Source locations of pattern specific components of human visual evoked potentials I. Components of striate origin”Experimental Brain Research161–21
17.
JeffreysD AAxfordJ G, 1972b“Source locations of pattern specific components of human visual evoked potentials II. Components of extrastriate origin”Experimental Brain Research1622–4022–40
18.
KeeseyU, 1972“Flicker and pattern detection: a comparison of thresholds”Journal of the Optical Society of America62446–448
19.
KulikowskiJ J, 1972“Relation between psychophysics and electrophysiology”Trace, Paris663–69
20.
KulikowskiJ JLeismanG, 1973“The effect of nitrous oxide on the relation between the evoked potential and contrast threshold”Vision Research132079–2086
21.
KulikowskiJ JTolhurstD J, 1973“Psychophysical evidence for sustained and transient detectors in human vision”Journal of Physiology (London)232149–162
22.
MichaelW FHallidayA M, 1971“Differences between occipital distribution of upper and lower field pattern evoked responses in man”Brain Research32311–324
23.
ReganDRichardsW A, 1971“Independence of evoked potentials and apparent size”Vision Research11679–684
24.
RietveldW JHagenouwJ R B, 1971“Influence on cortical responses to patterned flashes of contrast-depth and of ratio between the combined light and dark areas”Pflügers Archiv322235–249
25.
RietveldW JTordoirW E MHagenouwJ R BLubbersJ ASpoorT H A C, 1967“Visual evoked responses to blank and to checkerboard patterns”Acta Physiologica et Pharmacologica Neerlandica14259–285
26.
SpekreijseH, 1966Analyses of EEG Responses in Man Evoked by Sine Wave Modulated Light (The Hague: Junk)
27.
SpekreijseHVan der TweelL HZuidemaT H, 1973“Contrast evoked responses in man”Vision Research131577–1601
28.
TolhurstD F, 1973“Separate channels for the analysis of the shape and the movement of a moving visual stimulus”Journal of Physiology (London)231385–402
29.
VaughanH GJrCostaLGildenL, 1966“The functional relation of visual evoked response and reaction time to stimulus intensity”Vision Research6645–656
