title: Evaluation of auditory, visual and olfactory event-related potentials for comparing interspersed- and single-stimulus paradigms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An interspersed-stimulus paradigm (ISP) for event-related potential (ERP) recordings in which different sensory modality stimuli are presented within the same test session was developed to minimize recording time and facilitate modality comparison. The present study compared the ISP with a single-stimulus paradigm (SSP), using auditory, visual, and olfactory stimuli.
  
  
  METHODS
  Normal participants (n=16) were assessed on two independent test occasions to obtain data on inter-paradigm and test-retest reliability. Peak amplitude/latency and area measures were obtained for the N1, P2 and P3 peaks for each paradigm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Except for larger auditory and visual P3 peaks and smaller visual P2 peaks in the ISP, no significant differences in amplitudes or latencies were found between the two paradigms. Correlation coefficients between paradigms were generally fairly high (amplitude mean r=0.76; latency r=0.42). Test-retest reliability within paradigms for amplitudes (ISP r=0.70; SSP r=0.68) and latencies (ISP r=0.44; SSP r=0.42) was similar across paradigms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that the ISP, compared to the SSP, produces, in general, highly comparable auditory, visual, and olfactory peak amplitudes and latencies, and comparable reliability estimates, even though the ISP takes much less time to record (25 vs. 50min). The larger auditory and visual P3 peaks and smaller visual P2 peaks in the ISP may be attributable to a less predictable stimulus environment. Thus, this method enables systematic comparisons of ERP peaks across sensory modalities while reducing testing time. Practical implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. steven.nordin@psy.umu.se
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nordin
authors.forename: Linus
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Jonas K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Olofsson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McCormack
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polich
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult