Die adaptive Bestimmung von Kontrastschwellen mit dem visuell evozierten Potenzial (VEP)

The visual evoked potential (VEP) can be used to objectively estimate sensory thresholds. Recently, we developed an adaptive procedure for this threshold estimation based on a Fourier analysis of steady-state responses during the recording. In this study we quantified the reduction in recording time of this adaptive procedure. Steady-state VEPs to pattern reversal (f=8.3 Hz) of checkerboards with 8 contrast values between 0.64% and 82% were recorded monocularly. Adaptive and non-adaptive recordings were performed for full correction (fc) and for blurred stimulus patterns (+1.5 D and +3.0D). VEP contrast thresholds were defined by the lowest contrast condition that showed a significant response. An ANOVA of the VEP thresholds showed significant effects (p<0.0001) of the factors “procedure” (psychophysics, adaptive VEP, non-adaptive VEP) and “correction” (fc, fc+1.5D, fc+3.0D). Compared to non-adaptive recordings, adaptive recordings showed thresholds that were significantly reduced and closer to psychophysical contrast thresholds. By applying the adaptive procedure the recording time can be reduced by a factor of about 2 when compared to the non-adaptive procedure. The new adaptive VEP procedure may help to improve the correlation of electrophysiological and psychophysical estimates of sensory thresholds and may accelerate functional testing in the clinical routine.