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Visual evoked potentials in school children: a comparative study of transient and steady-state methods with pattern
Y Tomoda1, S Tobimatsu, A Mitsudome
1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Objective:
Flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) are commonly used in pediatrics, because children are sometimes uncooperative. We performed a comparative study of transient and steady-state VEPs with pattern reversal (PR) and flash (light-emitting diode, LED) stimulation.
Methods:
We recorded VEPs in 15 boys and 17 girls (aged 6-12 years) using 4 different stimulus conditions. The latency and amplitude of transient VEPs (T-VEPs) were measured. Steady-state VEPs (S-VEPs) were Fourier analyzed, and both the phase and amplitude of the major components were obtained.
Results:
The mean P100 latency of LED T-VEPs was longer and had a greater variability than that of PR T-VEPs. The LED T-VEPs had an amplitude of about double that of PR T-VEPs. The first harmonic response in the LED and second harmonic in PR were the major components of S-VEPs. The phases of PR and LED S-VEPs had narrow angular dispersions and amplitudes showed marked intersubject variability. Sex and age had no significant effect on both T-VEPs and S-VEPs.
Conclusions:
Reproducible VEPs with 4 stimulus conditions can be obtained in school children. T-VEPs and S-VEPs are clinically useful because these methods provide complementary information.