title: Human cortical responses to contrast modulations of visual noise.
abstract: We studied visual evoked potentials (VEPs) elicited by second-order contrast modulations of binary dynamic noise and first-order luminance modulations. Using a 3-point Laplacian operator centred on Oz, we found that contrast modulations of both low and higher spatial frequencies elicited a negative component whose latency was about 200 ms. The latency of this component was significantly longer than that of the early Laplacian components to first-order luminance modulations. These findings could be due to slower first-stage linear filters and additional processing stages of the second-order pathway. The topographical analysis of scalp recorded VEPs to central and half-field stimulation has suggested that the responses to second-order patterns are likely to be generated by neuronal structures within the primary visual cortex which may have inputs from extrastriate neurons via feedback connections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK. j.calvert@gcal.ac.uk
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Calvert
authors.forename: Velitchko
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manahilov
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Denis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics; D012535:Scalp; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*