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Steady-State Visually Evoked Potential topography associated with a visual vigilance task

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Summary

This paper describes data which demonstrate a correlation between the magnitude of the Steady-State Visually Evoked Potential (SSVEP) and visual vigilance. The SSVEP was recorded from 64 scalp sites and elicited by a 13Hz uniform visual flicker presented continuously while subjects undertook a visual vigilance task. Fifteen right-handed males were required to view three times a series of 180 geometrical shapes comprising a sequence of 60 squares, 60 circles and a further 60 squares. Each viewing of the 180 shapes constituted a trial. Trials 1 and 2 were identical while trial 3 differed from the first two in that one of the circles was modified. Subjects were ignorant as to the location of the modified circle and prior to the third trial, were challenged to identify the modified circle. A comparison of trials 2 and 3 indicated that the appearance of the modified circle was associated with an attenuation of the SSVEP in the occipito/parietal region. The same comparison indicated a pronounced SSVEP attenuation in the centro/parietal region during the interval that subjects were anticipating the appearance of the modified circle. These results suggest a distinction between the cortical activation patterns occurring during different phases of a visual vigilance task.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Applied Neurosciences, Physics Department, Faculty of Applied Science, Swinburne Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 218, 3122, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia

    Richard B. Silberstein, Mark A. Schier, Andrew Pipingas, Joseph Ciorciari, Stephen R. Wood & David G. Simpson

  2. NH & MRC Schizophrenia Research Unit, Royal Park Hospital, Australia

    Richard B. Silberstein

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  1. Richard B. Silberstein
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  2. Mark A. Schier
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  3. Andrew Pipingas
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  4. Joseph Ciorciari
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  5. Stephen R. Wood
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  6. David G. Simpson
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Additional information

This work was supported in part, by a grant from the Rebecca L. Cooper Foundation. The authors are happy to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. M. Cowey in the recording and analysis of the data, Dr. J. Currie for his helpful advice on conceptual and methodological issues, Prof. P. Finch and Mr. N. Garnham for their statistical advice and assistance, Dr. E. Gordon for his helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper and Mr. F. Musci for his development of the task presentation software.

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Silberstein, R.B., Schier, M.A., Pipingas, A. et al. Steady-State Visually Evoked Potential topography associated with a visual vigilance task. Brain Topogr 3, 337–347 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01135443

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