Motion‐onset visual evoked potentials ‐ Important tool in vision and eye research

Abstract

AbstractPurpose Despite quite a long history of visual evoked potentials (VEPs), their use has been limited so far almost exclusively to flash or pattern related responses of the primary visual cortex (mediated mainly via activation of the parvocellular system of the visual pathway. It is surprising that efforts to extend it to more complex testing including an examination of the motion processing system (magnocellular system and dorsal stream) are quite rare (e.g. Kuba and Kubová, Doc Ophthalmol, 1992, 80, 83‐89; Kubová et al., 1995, Vision Res, 35, 197‐205.Methods Early or selective involvement of the motion processing system is suspected in many CNS disorders and we suggest that motion‐onset VEPs may recognize functional problems of this kind better than imagine techniques (Kuba et al., Vision Res, 2007, 47, 189‐202.Results Motion‐onset VEPs display latency shortening up to the age of about 18 years representing very slow individually different maturation of the motion processing system (Langrova et al., Vision Res., 2006, 46, 536‐544. In early adulthood they start accelerated latency prolongation when compared to pattern‐reversal, which might be a good indicator of individual biological ageing (Kuba et al., Vision Res, 2012, 62, 9‐16.Conclusion Since about 30% of pathological findings in our parallel pattern‐reversal and motion‐onset VEPs examinations in neuro‐ophthalmological patients display exclusively the motion‐onset VEPs pathology, we strongly recommend using them both in the theoretical vision research and ophthalmological diagnostics. Acknowledgement: Supported by the project PRVOUK ‐ P37/07.