Improving the Reliability of the Flash Visual Evoked Potential P2 (FVEP-P2).

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Electrophysiology

Background:

• Flash visual evoked potential (FVEP) has limited clinical use due to reproducibility issues.
• High inter- and intra-individual variability may stem from overlapping potentials, like alpha suppression.
• The FVEP-P2 component is particularly susceptible to obscuration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of FVEP-P2 in healthy young adults.
• To assess the impact of narrow-band (1-7 Hz) and notch filtering on FVEP-P2 reliability.
• To test the hypothesis that spectral correction, specifically for alpha entrainment, improves FVEP-P2 reliability.

Main Methods:

• 27 healthy participants (18-39 years) underwent five sessions of FVEP recording with eyes closed.
• FVEP-P2 was identified using an automated algorithm.
• Narrow-band filtering (1-7 Hz) and notch filtering (alpha, beta) were applied to assess their effect on reliability.

Main Results:

• Narrow-band filtering significantly improved FVEP-P2 latency reliability compared to uncorrected data.
• Filtering also enhanced FVEP-P2 amplitude reliability by attenuating alpha-band interference.
• Notch filters for alpha and beta alone did not yield significant improvements, suggesting combined interference.

Conclusions:

• Spectral correction, including narrow-band and notch filtering, mitigates alpha and beta interference.
• These filtering techniques enhance the test-retest reliability of FVEP-P2 to clinically acceptable levels.
• Improved FVEP-P2 reliability supports its clinical utility, especially for specific patient populations and as a biomarker.