Early visual selection in near and far space: an event-related potential study

Earlier behavioral studies have shown that near space (within reaching distance) is represented in the brain separately from far space (out of reaching distance), and the relationship between the different spatial coordinates and spatial attention is unclear. The typical event-related potentials of P1 and N1 in the near (viewing distance of 30 cm) and far (140 cm) conditions, with stimuli at a constant visual angle are examined in this study. An early P1 (100-130 ms poststimulus) attention effect at occipital parietal sites increased in response to stimuli at the left visual field only in near space. This suggests that near and far spatial representations are involved in early visual selection.