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Updated: May 2, 2026
How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns
Published on: October 24, 2019
Maturation of cyclopean visual evoked potential phase in preterm and full-term infants
Eszter Mikó-Baráth1, Katalin Markó, Anna Budai
1Institute of Physiology, Medical School of Pécs, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
Insights
The phase shift in dynamic random dot correlogram-evoked visual evoked potentials (DRDC-VEPs) and P1 latency in pattern-reversal VEPs (PR-VEPs) mature together in infants. These visual evoked potential measures appear to be independent of visual experience, reflecting myelination.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs) show P1 latency decreases with infant brain myelination, impacting visual signal transmission.
- Dynamic random dot correlogram (DRDC)-evoked VEPs (DRDC-VEPs) assess binocular function and exhibit an age-dependent phase shift similar to P1 latency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cyclopean DRDC-VEP phases and PR-VEP P1 latencies in infants.
- To explore the experience-dependent nature of early binocular visual development.
Main Methods:
- Recorded DRDC-VEPs and PR-VEPs in 128 full-term and 47 preterm infants.
- Utilized dichoptic viewing with red-green goggles and CRT monitors for DRDC stimuli.
- Analyzed age-dependent changes using logistic function fitting and residual analysis.
Main Results:
- The DRDC-VEP phase shift and P1 latency decrease occurred at the same postconceptual ages.
- A significant correlation was observed between P1 latencies and DRDC-VEP phases.
Conclusions:
- DRDC-VEP phase and P1 latency maturation in infants seem independent of visual experience.
- Both measures are proposed as indicators of myelination and improved signal transmission in the developing visual system.
Purpose:
P1 is the major positive component of pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs). The rapid decrease of its latency correlates with the progressive myelination in the developing infant brain, which affects signal transmission in the visual system. An age-dependent phase shift, analogous to P1 peak latency, can be observed in dynamic random dot correlogram (DRDC)-evoked VEPs (DRDC-VEPs), a method used to assess binocular function. Our goal was to study the relationship between cyclopean DRDC-VEP phases and PR-VEP P1 latencies in full-term and preterm infants so as to further explore the experience dependence of early binocular developmental processes.
Methods:
DRDC-VEPs and PR-VEPs were recorded in 128 full-term and 47 preterm healthy infants and toddlers. DRDC stimuli were presented on the red and green channels of a CRT monitor while infants wore red-green goggles for dichoptic viewing. Reliability of VEP responses was assessed by the statistic. Logistic function was fit to the phase and latency data as a function of age, and goodness of fit was assessed by analysis of residuals.
Results:
The phase shift of DRDC-VEPs and the rapid decrease of P1 latencies occur at identical postconceptual ages. A correlation also was found between P1 latencies and DRDC-VEP phases.
Conclusions:
Although development of binocularity is an extremely experience-dependent process, our data suggest that DRDC-VEP phase and P1 latency mature independently from visual experience. We propose that both the phase shift and decreasing P1 latency are indicators of myelination and increasingly faster signal transmission in the developing visual system.
