Spatial dissociation of early and late colour evoked components

Abstract

Evoked potentials to the primary colours red, green, yellow and blue were recorded and compared with those evoked by white. The unpatterned 10° × 13° stimuli were generated with the aid of a colour monitor. Activity was depicted with 5 electrodes, the central electrode 5 cm above the inion and two on each side 5 and 10 cm apart from the central electrode. With equally bright colour stimuli a previously described early negative colour-dominated component N87 was localized in all subjects at the central occipital electrode while the following positivity P100 was clearly more lateralized to the peripheral electrodes. With half-field stimulation N87 showed a similar — paradoxical — lateralization to the ipsilateral electrodes as has been demonstrated for pattern reversal. The existence and localization of N87 could be confirmed also for blue colours, its amplitude independent of the blue luminance, its latency decreasing for definite additional brightness increments and decrements. The N87 to blue was of the same latency as the N87 components to other colours. N87 is mainly generated foveally and parafoveally, its amplitude saturates with stimuli larger than 6–8° in diameter.