title: Pattern visual evoked potentials and spatial vision in retrobulbar neuritis and multiple sclerosis.
abstract: In an attempt to resolve some of the reported disagreements between visual evoked potential (VEP) recordings and Snellen visual acuity in patients with multiple sclerosis, we compared these test results with sine-wave grating-contrast sensitivity curves. Disease that depressed visual sensitivity for high spatial frequencies, sparing low spatial frequencies, was associated with depressed visual acuity and attenuated small-check VEPs in the affected eye, while large-check VEPs were not attenuated. When visual sensitivity to all spatial frequencies was depressed, both large-check and small-check VEPs were attenuated, and Snellen acuity was reduced. In general, abnormalities in the contrast sensitivity curve predicted abnormalities in VEP amplitude, but VEP delay was less accurately predicted.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D014787:Vision Tests; D014792:Visual Acuity