Cortical evoked potentials as indicators of auditory-visual cross-modal association in young adults.
Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were studied from scalp locations Cz and Oz on 37 adults aged 20-22 years during sensori-sensorial association of a weak sound (S) and a strong flash of light (L). After sound alone repetition (habituation), S-L association modified AEP: first, it caused a generalized orienting response expressed as increasing of Cz and Oz amplitude AEPs. Then, this pattern gave way to an activation limited to the Oz lead: the increase of amplitude was then concomitant with shortened latencies when compared to sound-alone-habituated responses. Inter-individual differences were observed since these occipital modifications were recorded only on 26 subjects. The other 11 subjects did not exhibit any occipital modifications following S-L association. For them, the main modification was a strong decrease of Cz AEP induced by S-L association. These two groups also differed in their capacity to ignore irrelevant stimuli which is higher in the first group (AEP amplitude habituation with sound-alone repetition) than in the second one (no AEP habituation).
Bruneau
N
N
INSERM U316, CHRU Bretonneau, Tours, France.
Roux
S
S
Garreau
B
B
Martineau
J
J
Lelord
G
G
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*