The influence of pattern size on amplitude, latency and wave form of retinal and cortical potentials elicited by checkerboard pattern reversal and stimulus onset-offset.

Transient pattern electroretinograms (PERGs) and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded with checkerboard pattern reversal and equiluminance stimulus onset-offset, elicited by a high quality moving mirror stimulator. Different sized checkerboard patterns (0.35-4.2 c/deg) were used as stimulus patterns. The wave forms of the equiluminance stimulus onset responses were similar to ERGs evoked with luminance decrease and the stimulus offset PERGs were like ERGs elicited by luminance increase. The PERG c wave and the VEP showed spatial frequency tuning with pattern reversal and stimulus offset. Spatial frequency tuning was not detectable with PERG a and b waves. Pattern reversal and stimulus onset evoked PERGs had no major spectral components above 40 Hz; stimulus offset evoked PERGs contained components up to 55.3 Hz. Retino-cortical time--measured as a latency difference of the PERG b wave to VEP P100--was identical with pattern reversal and stimulus onset and about 12 msec longer with stimulus offset. Our results suggest that the 3 stimulation modes, reversal, onset and offset induce different types of processing at the retinal and cortical levels. PERG a and b waves to our high luminance/contrast stimuli contain no pattern specific information and the c waves are the sum of luminance and pattern specific responses.

[1]  A. Fiorentini,et al.  Electroretinographic responses to alternating gratings before and after section of the optic nerve. , 1981, Science.

[2]  J. Odom,et al.  Pattern evoked retinal response (PERR) in human: effects of spatial frequency, temporal frequency, luminance and defocus. , 1982, Current eye research.

[3]  M. Korth.  Pattern‐evoked responses and luminance‐evoked responses in the human electroretinogram. , 1983, The Journal of physiology.

[4]  D. Jeffreys,et al.  The influence of spatial frequency on the reaction times and evoked potentials recorded to grating pattern stimuli , 1985, Vision Research.

[5]  S. Tobimatsu,et al.  Electroretinograms to checkerboard pattern reversal in cats: physiological characteristics and effect of retrograde degeneration of ganglion cells. , 1989, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[6]  A. Vassilev,et al.  Spatial frequency and the pattern onset-offset response , 1983, Vision Research.

[7]  Vaegan,et al.  CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE THAT THE PATTERN ELECTRORETINOGRAM (PERG) IS GENERATED IN MORE PROXIMAL RETINAL LAYERS THAN THE FOCAL ELECTRORETINOGRAM (FERG) , 1980, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[8]  J R Lishman,et al.  Visual-evoked responses elicited by the onset and offset of sinusoidal gratings: latency, waveform, and topographic characteristics. , 1982, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[9]  Matthias Korth.  Human fast retinal potentials and the spatial properties of a visual stimulus , 1981, Vision Research.

[10]  D. Kaufman,et al.  Simultaneous recording of pattern electroretinography and visual evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis. A method to separate demyelination from axonal damage to the optic nerve. , 1986, Archives of neurology.

[11]  D. Kaufman,et al.  Simultaneous recording of pattern electroretinogram and visual evoked responses in neuro‐ophthalmologic disorders , 1985, Neurology.

[12]  A. Vassilev,et al.  The effect of standing contrast and pattern adaptation on the human visually evoked potential. , 1986, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[13]  G. Trick,et al.  Spatial and temporal frequency tuning of pattern-reversal retinal potentials. , 1982, Investigative ophthalmology & visual science.

[14]  S. Sokol,et al.  Comparison of the spatial response properties of the human retina and cortex as measured by simultaneously recorded pattern ERGs and VEPs , 1983, Vision Research.

[15]  H Spekreijse,et al.  The luminance origin of the pattern electroretinogram in man. , 1985, The Journal of physiology.