Attention and personality in augmenting/reducing of visual evoked potentials

Earlier research has shown that extraverts tend to increase their visual evoked potential amplitudes with increasing light intensity (augmenting), while introverts reach their maximum amplitude at lower intensities (reducing). The evoked response has normally been measured from association areas of the brain (at the vertex). The present study measured VEP amplitudes over visual cortex and at the vertex, using four light intensities in two conditions, where attention was either directed towards the light stimuli, or away from them by a concurrent auditory task. Forty subjects were classified as extraverts or introverts based on the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The results show that attention interacted significantly with extraversion. Introverts exhibited a narrower focus of attention, while higher amplitudes and amplitude-intensity functions when attending to the light flashes and lower when distracted. Extraverts showed smaller differences between conditions, indicating a more evenly distributed attention. Higher arousal in introverts is the probable cause of their narrower focus of attention. There were marked differences in the distribution of activity between vertex and occipital cortex. Introverts showed relatively stronger occipital responses and extraverts stronger vertex responses across all intensities and in both conditions. The predisposition for mainly perceptual responses to aversive stimuli in introverts, and for general alerting and motor preparatory responses in extraverts, are interpreted as supportive of Brebner and Cooper's hypothesis that introverts are ‘geared to inspect’ and extraverts are ‘geared to respond’.     

Long latency auditory evoked potentials

Experiment 1 elicited the P1, N1, P2, and N2 components of the long latency auditory evoked potential (AEP) using a 1000 Hz tone presented at 30, 50, or 70 dB SPL and 1-, 3-, or 5- second inter-stimulus intervals to assess the relative effects of the combination of these variables on component amplitude and latency. Four blocks of 16 tone presentations each were recorded from each subject to determine if changes in the AEP would occur because of short-term habituation. Both stimulus factors interacted significantly in a systematic fashion for the amplitude measures, with increases in latency also associated with increases in intensity and inter-stimulus interval. Only minor changes across the four trial blocks for either the amplitude or latency measures were observed over the various stimulus presentation conditions. Experiment 2 employed the same tone stimulus presented at 50 dB SPL and a 3-second inter-stimulus interval. Eight blocks of 64 trials were recorded from each subject on each day for four days to investigate long-term habituation effects. No substantial changes in any of the component amplitudes or latencies were obtained across the 32 trial blocks. It was concluded that intensity and inter-stimulus interval interact to determine AEP amplitude as well as latency values and that the constituent components do not change appreciably with repeated stimulus presentations, even after several days.     

Visual evoked potentials basic references

A list is given of 60 basic references (monographs and general reviews) in the field of evoked potentials and event-related brain potentials applied to vision research in man.     

The psychological refractory period and vertex evoked potentials

The averaged sensory evoked potential (EP) was recorded from the scalp (vertex to mastoid) in a psychological refractory period experiment in which 12 young adults participated. Reaction times (RTs) were measured to either both or only the second of pairs of stimuli, in different trial blocks, with inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) of 100, 200, 300 and 400 msec occurring in random sequence. EPs were recorded at each ISI. No latency changes could be found in the prominent non-specific components (P1-N1-P2) of the EP to stimulus 2 even at ISIs where the RT was substantially delayed. Thus the notions that the RT2 delay is due to occupation of a single channel central processor by S1 and that non-specific EP components reflect the time course of information processing in underlying neural tissue, do not lend each other mutual support. Furthermore, as profound amplitude refractoriness in components P1-N1 and N1-P2 persisted at ISIs where RT was as fast or faster than simple RT, there appears to be a dissociation between “psychological refractoriness” and “physiological refractoriness”. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Lateral dominance and visual evoked potentials in albinos

Lateral preferences for the use of eye, hand, and foot were assessed in 17 male and female albino subjects, aged 15 to 52 yr. Visual evoked potential (VEP) recordings suggested that optic fibres were abnormally decussated in these subjects, as others have shown. Fewer albino subjects showed the lateral preference for the use of hand/eye and foot/eye similar to that of normals. It is postulated that the abnormal decussation of optic fibres may underlie the reduced preference for the use of the same hand and eye, and foot and eye, in albinos.     

Cortical evoked potential, personality, and intelligence.

The averaged cortical evoked potential (CEP) was measured from 296 male subjects in two studies and was correlated with scores on intelligence and personality tests. For both studies, auditory stimuli were used with bipolar electrode placement to the Cz and T3 scalp positions. In the first study, with 84 subjects, stimulus intensity was 95 dB (all dB readings re 20 muN/m2). Intelligence was measured with the Mill Hill Vocabulary Scale and personality with H. J. Eysenck's PEN questionnaire. The second study, with 212 subjects, used additional stimuli at 75 dB and 55 dB. Intelligence was measured with the Ravens Progressive Matrices. State anxiety and other state measures at the time of testing were also taken. Neither study found any relation between the CEP and IQ or personality. However, more bored subjects showed larger CEP amplitudes. The results are discussed in terms of Ertl's neural efficiency hypothesis and Eysenck's arousal theory of personality.     

Learning-disordered children's evoked potentials during sustained attention

Evoked potentials and performance of 19 learning-disordered (LD) and 19 normally achieving children were studied in two versions of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). In both CPT procedures, LD children made more errors of omission and commission than did normal children. Evoked potential differences between groups were especially prominent in the more difficult BX version of the CPT. LD children displayed significantly smaller late positive components (LPC) of the evoked potential to critical stimuli in the task. There were no LPC differences between diagnostic groups for noncritical stimulus categories. The results suggest a deficit in behavioral and cortical indices of sustained attention among LD children.This research is based on a doctoral dissertation in psychology submitted by the first author (Dainer, 1980) and supervised by the second author. The research was partly supported by NIMH Grant MH 32103 and New York State Health Research Council Contract 1396 to the second author. We are grateful to the Strong Memorial Hospital Learning Disorders Clinic; B.O.C.E.S. School #1, Fairport, New York; Rochester Learning Disabilities Association; and Winifred Stebbins for referring learning-disordered children, and to the Rochester Central YMCA for referring normally achieving children. The University of Rochester College of Arts and Science provided partial support for computer funds. For their assistance, we are grateful to Lance Bauer, John Chapman, Michael Davidson, Dale McAdam, James Metz, and Lawrence Ota.     

A wavelet packet model of evoked potentials

The standard methods for decomposition and analysis of evoked potentials are bandpass filtering, identification of peak amplitudes and latencies, and principal component analysis (PCA). We discuss the limitations of these and other approaches and introduce wavelet packet analysis. Then we propose the "single-channel wavelet packet model," a new approach in which a unique decomposition is achieved using prior time-frequency information and differences in the responses of the components to changes in experimental conditions. Orthogonal sets of wavelet packets allow a parsimonious time-frequency representation of the components. The method allows energy in some wavelet packets to be shared among two or more components, so the components are not necessarily orthogonal. The single-channel wavelet packet model and PCA both require constraints to achieve a unique decomposition. In PCA, however, the constraints are defined by mathematical convenience and may be unrealistic. In the single-channel wavelet packet model, the constraints are based on prior scientific knowledge. We give an application of the method to auditory evoked potentials recorded from cats. The good frequency resolution of wavelet packets allows us to separate superimposed components in these data. Our present approach yields estimates of component waveforms and the effects of experiment conditions on the amplitude of the components. We discuss future extensions that will provide confidence intervals and p values, allow for latency changes, and represent multichannel data.     

Method for studying spinal evoked potentials]

The authors describe a new method of examing evoked spinal potentials. Derivation is by means of unipolar needle electrodes which are ventrolaterally introduced into the cervical disk space as far as the posterior longitudinal ligament. Detection of a spinal potential following the stimulation of brachial and crural nerves allows to exclude the possibility of complete transverse lesion of the spinal cord or severing of the peripheral nerve or plexus.     

Visual event-related potentials in schizotypal personality disorder and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SZ) occurs among a spectrum of disorders with similar characteristics, including schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). Visual processing disturbances have been reported in both disorders, but it is not yet clear which processes are disturbed in both SZ and SPD, suggestive of a common endophenotype, and which appear only in SZ. In order to address this question, the authors evaluated visual event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited during a line-orientation discrimination task in control, SPD, and SZ participants. Visual ERPs allow specification of both the time course and physiological correlates of visual perception and cognition. SZ patients had smaller P100 and P300a amplitudes and prolonged P300b latency compared to the control group. SZ patients also had smaller N160, N200, P300a, and P300b amplitudes compared to the SPD group. SPD participants did not differ from control participants on any ERP measure. These data documented pervasive abnormalities in visual perception and attention in SZ but not in SPD, suggesting that these visual ERP disturbances may not represent a common endophenotype.     

Auditory evoked potentials and sex-related differences in brain development

Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were obtained to probe tones which were delivered during the presentation of complex verbal and nonverbal auditory stimulation to 3-month-old infants. Significant sex-dependent AEP amplitude asymmetries were found. Females produced higher-amplitude responses from the left hemisphere and males produced higher-amplitude responses from the right hemisphere during both the verbal and nonverbal presentations. No significant AEP asymmetries were obtained in an independent group of infants that received only the probe tones. These findings are consistent with theories and behavioral data suggesting differences between males and females in the development of language and spatial functions.     

Psychometric intelligence and visual evoked potentials: a replication

Previously we have reported significant correlations between EEG visual evoked potential (EP) parameters and scores on the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) test. This study is an attempt to replicate those findings in a new sample of 27 S s. The results provide further evidence that EP amplitude is related to intelligence-test performance. There is also confirmation that stimulus luminance levels influence the magnitude of EP amplitude/intelligence correlations. In addition, the results indicate that age may be a confounding variable.     

Visual evoked potentials elicited by subjective contour figures

In order to investigate the relationship between the appearance of illusory figures and the wave form of visual evoked potentials (VEPs), 8 different visual pattern stimuli were presented to 8 normal subjects. Four of the stimuli (experimental stimuli) produced subjective figures and contours (squares and discs). The 4 other stimuli (reference stimuli), although equal to the experimental stimuli in the amount of physical energy, did not produce the illusion of squares or discs. Electrodes were placed on the scalp at central and occipital locations. Three prominent peaks in the occipital record were observed in all subjects. An amplitude difference of VEP N180 (N2) between the subjective figures and the reference stimuli was found in the values for each subject. Enhancement of the VEP of the illusory figure stimuli was observed for a specific component (N2), whereas the amplitude values at the central components and the occipital P120 (P2) and P280 (P3) were almost the same as the reference values. The VEP (N2 component) amplitude enhancement at the occipital area for subjective figure stimuli suggests that illusory contour formation takes place at higher levels in the visual system. This was known from experiments using dichoptic presentation.     

Spatial property of motion visual evoked potentials.

The cortical evoked response to drifting patterns (motion visual evoked potentials) was investigated. When the direction of motion of the stimulus pattern was reversed upward or downward at intervals, the cortical evoked response was triggered at the moment when the pattern changed direction. The polarity reversal of the main negative component occurred between upper and lower visual field stimulations as seen in pattern reversal visual evoked potentials. Our study indicates these potentials have a compound property reflecting the visual field.     

Computer signal detection by monitoring auditory evoked potentials

A digital computer, using a simple decision algorithm, attempted to determine when an acoustical signal had been presented to a cat by monitoring the amplitude of the evoked potentials (EP) at brainstem auditory nuclei. The signal-to-noise level at threshold and the shape and range of the decision model “psychometric functions” were similar to those obtained from humans in the same task. In addition, the detection performance obeys Weber’s law, the mean amplitude of the EP increases monotmonically with signal level, the variance of the amplitude is independent of both signal and noise level, and both the mean latency and the variance of the latency of the peaks decrease with increasing signal level. These findings suggest that the synchronization in firing of a population of single units plays a part in determining the amplitude of the EP. Interaural effects in detection performance were found at the inferior colliculus and, to a lesser extent, at the superior olive.