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Topography of the evoked potential to spatial localization cues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Scott B. Steinman  and
Dennis M. Levi
Scott B. Steinman
Affiliation:
Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco
Dennis M. Levi
Affiliation:
College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston
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Abstract

Visual tasks that are perceptually diverse might be expected to elicit unique evoked-potential waveforms that exhibit differing topographic maps. To investigate this possibility, multichannel visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded in response to several dot spatial localization stimuli that are physically similar yet produce different percepts (vernier offsets, stereoscopic disparity, bisection, orientation, and relative displacement) to determine if the unique percepts arising from these stimuli reflect the activation of different cortical neural populations. The resulting evoked potentials were all similar in waveform, although the stereoscopic VEPs were relatively delayed. Topographic maps of the evoked-potential activity to each stimulus revealed a late major component with two independent foci: one 7 or more centimeters above the inion lateral to the midline, and the other at least 6 cm lateral to Oz. The scalp localization of both peaks was independent of both the position of the stimulus in the visual field and the particular stimulus cue presented. An asymmetric response to pattern appearance vs. disappearance indicated strong pattern specificity for each stimulus type except unreferenced motion. The timing of the VEP responses and relative insensitivity to retinal locus of stimulation suggest the involvement of higher cortical areas. The two map foci might be interpreted as activation of inferotemporal and parietal cortices whose roles are thought to be visual object interpretation and spatial attention and localization, respectively.

Keywords

Spatial localizationEvoked potentialsTopographic mapping

Information

Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , April 1992 , pp. 281 - 294
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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