Interactions of spectral, spatial, and temporal mechanisms in the human pattern visual evoked potential

The human pattern onset-offset visual evoked potential (VEP) was studied with different colours and spatial frequencies presented on a steady homogeneous intensive yellow background. Under this condition a broad, late negative wave (N2) dominated by the blue-sensitive mechanism and a sharper earlier positive wave (P1) dominated by the red-green-sensitive mechanism can be observed. With a 460 nm pattern N2 shows a strong amplitude tuning at low-medium spatial frequencies. With 550 nm an early negative component (N1) is added showing an amplitude tuning at high spatial frequencies. Different spatial resolutions of the two colour mechanisms are thus indicated. With pattern-reversal stimuli the 550 nm stimulus shows a higher temporal resolution than the 460 nm stimulus.