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Transient VEP and psychophysical chromatic contrast thresholds in children and adults

Mei Ying Boon1, Catherine M Suttle, Stephen J Dain

  • 1School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. m.boon@UNSWalumni.com

Vision Research
|June 15, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Children show a greater difference between visual evoked potential (VEP) and psychophysical color thresholds than adults. This study compared these measures in children and adults to understand visual development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Human color vision develops from infancy through adolescence, with maturation evident in psychophysical measures and visual evoked potentials (VEPs).
  • Previous research indicates prolonged development of color vision, but direct intra-individual comparisons of VEP and psychophysical responses in children are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct an intra-individual comparison of VEP and psychophysical responses to isoluminant color stimuli in children and adults.
  • To investigate the maturation of the L-M chromatic pathway and assess discrepancies in chromatic thresholds between VEP and psychophysical measures.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded VEPs from 49 subjects, including children (4.8–12.6 years) and adults (25.7–33.2 years).
  • Measured psychophysical and VEP thresholds using identical, nominally isoluminant chromatic (L-M) sinewave gratings presented in onset-offset mode.
  • Performed direct comparison of VEP and psychophysical thresholds within individuals.

Main Results:

  • Transient VEP morphology differed significantly between children and adults.
  • A significant difference was found between psychophysical and VEP thresholds in children, but not in adults.
  • A larger discrepancy between VEP and psychophysical chromatic thresholds was observed in children compared to adults.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support and extend previous research on the maturation of the L-M chromatic pathway.
  • The study highlights a greater divergence between objective (VEP) and subjective (psychophysical) measures of color vision in developing children.

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