Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Pattern-onset and OFFset visual evoked potentials in the diagnosis of hemianopic field defects

  • Original Research Article
  • Published:
Documenta Ophthalmologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) assess the function of the visual pathway from the retina to the primary visual cortex. There is much evidence that monocular pattern-reversal and flash VEPs can distinguish dysfunction due to chiasmal and post-chiasmal afferent pathway lesions. There is less evidence about the use of pattern-onset/OFFset VEPs to identify post-chiasmic dysfunction.

Methods

We present nine patients with a range of visual pathway defects that caused dense hemianopic field defects. These patients had pattern onset–OFFset VEPs recorded from an array of occipital electrodes referred to a mid-frontal electrode to checks that appeared for 230 ms and disappeared for 300 ms into a background of mean luminance, in a stimulus field of 30°.

Results

We found pattern-onset VEP components lateralise to occipital electrodes overlaying the functional hemisphere, whereas pattern-OFFset VEP components demonstrate the paradoxical lateralisation phenomenon, described in reversal VEPs, and are maximal over the contralateral occiput.

Conclusion

Our findings show how extending the recording time window to include an OFFset VEP facilitates identification of hemianopic visual field defects. We advocate the pattern-onset/OFFset VEP in the assessment of patients with hemianopia, having particular value for patients who are otherwise unable to perform more demanding half-field electrophysiology, imaging or psychophysical testing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

FF:

Full field

GCCV:

Ganglion cell complex volume

HH:

Homonymous hemianopia

LHF:

Left half-field

NPL:

No perception of light

OCT:

Optical coherence tomography

PoVEPs:

Pattern-onset–OFFset VEPs

PrVEPs:

Pattern-reversal VEPs

RHF:

Right half-field

RNFL:

Retinal nerve fibre layer

VEPs:

Visual evoked potentials

References

  1. Odom JV et al (2016) ISCEV standard for clinical visual evoked potentials: (2016 update). Doc Ophthalmol 133:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Blumenhardt LD, Halliday AM (1979) Hemisphere contributions to the composition of the pattern evoked potential waveform. Exp Brain Res 36:53–79

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Barrett H et al (1976) A paradox in the lateralisation of the visual evoked response. Nature 261:253–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Shagass C, Amadeo M, Roemer RA (1976) Spatial distribution of potentials evoked by half-field pattern-reversal and pattern-onset stimuli. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 41:609–622

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Arruga J, Feldon SE, Hoyt WF, Aminoff MJ (1980) Monocularly and binocularly evoked visual responses to patterned half-field stimulation. J Neurol Sci 46:281–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Blumhardt LD, Barrett G, Halliday AM (1977) The asymmetrical visual evoked potential to pattern reversal in one half-field and its significance for the analysis of visual field defects. Br J Ophthalmol 61:454–461

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Brecelj J (2014) Visual electrophysiology in the clinical evaluation of optic neuritis, chiasmal tumours, achiasmia and ocular albinism: an overview. Doc Ophthalmol 129:71–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Di Russo F et al (2005) Identification of the neural sources of the pattern-reversal VEP. Neuroimage 24:874–886

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Blumhardt LD et al (1982) The pattern-evoked potential in lesions of the posterior visual pathways. Ann N Y Acad Sci 388:264–289

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Flanagan JG, Harding GF (1988) Multi-channel visual evoked potentials in early compressive lesions of the chiasm. Doc Ophthalmol 69:271–281

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Rusell-Eggitt I, Kriss A, Taylor DSI (1990) Albinism in childhood: a flash VEP and ERG study. Br J Ophthalmol 74:136–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Mellow TB et al (2011) When do asymmetrical full-field pattern reversal visual evoked potentials indicate visual pathway dysfunction in children? Doc Ophthalmol 122:9–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Thompson DA et al (2017) The changing shape of the ISCEV standard pattern onset VEP. Doc Ophthalmol 135:69–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Morland AB, Hoffman MB, Neveu M, Holder GE (2002) Abnormal visual projection in a human albino studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging and visual evoked potentials. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 72:523–526

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Dorey SE et al (2003) The clinical features of albinism and their correlation with visual evoked potentials. Br J Ophthalmol 87:767–772

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Shawkat FS et al (1998) Comparison of pattern-onset, -reversal and -offset VEPs in treated amblyopia. Eye (Lond) 12:863–869

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Jindahra P, Petrie A, Plant GT (2009) Retrograde trans-synaptic retinal ganglion cell loss identified by OCT. Brain 132:628–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Shawkat FS, Kriss A (1998) Effects of experimental scotomata on sequential pattern-onset, pattern-reversal and pattern-offset visual evoked potentials. Doc Ophthalmol 94:307–320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Jindahra P, Petrie A, Plant GT (2012) The time course of retrograde trans-synaptic degeneration following occipital lobe damage in humans. Brain 135:534–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Eason RG, Groves P, White CT, Oden D (1967) Evoked cortical potentials: relation to visual field and handedness. Science 156:1643–1646

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Cobb WA, Morton HB (1970) Evoked potentials from the human scalp to visual half-field stimulation. J Physiol (Lond) 208:39P–40P

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Toga AW, Thompson PM (2003) Mapping brain asymmetry. Nat Rev Neurosci 4:37–48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Kuroiwa Y, Celesia GG, Tohgi H (1987) Amplitude difference between pattern-evoked potentials after left and right hemifield stimulation in normal subjects. Neurology 37:795–799

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Vella EJ, Butler SR, Glass A (1972) Electrical correlate of right hemisphere function. Nat New Biol 236:125–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Shawkat FS, Kriss A (2000) A study of the effects of contrast change on pattern VEPs, and the transition between onset, reversal and offset modes of stimulation. Doc Ophthalmol 101:73–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Esteves O, Spekreijse H (1974) Relationship between pattern appearance–disappearance and pattern reversal responses. Exp Brain Res 19:233–238

    Google Scholar 

  27. Kriss A et al (1984) A comparison of pattern onset, offset and reversal responses: effects of age, gender and check size. In: Nodar R, Barber R (eds) Evoked potentials II. Butterworths, New York, pp 553–561

    Google Scholar 

  28. Shawkat FS, Kriss A (1998) Sequential pattern-onset, -reversal and -offset VEPs: comparison of effects of checksize. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 18:495–503

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Tibimatsu S, Celesia G (2006) Studies of human visual pathophysiology with visual evoked potentials. Clin Neurophysiol 117:1414–1433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Plant GT, Zimmern RL, Durden K (1983) Transient visually evoked potentials to the pattern reversal and onset of sinusoidal gratings. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 56:147–158

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Brecelj J, Kriss A (1989) Pattern reversal VEPs in optic neuritis: advantages of central and peripheral half-field stimulation. Neuro Ophthalmol 9:55–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tony Kriss Visual Electrophysiology Unit, Clinical and Academic, Department of Ophthalmology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, WC1N 3JH, UK

    Oliver R. Marmoy, Sian E. Handley & Dorothy A. Thompson

  2. Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Oliver R. Marmoy

  3. UCL-GOSH Institute for Child Health, UCL, London, UK

    Sian E. Handley & Dorothy A. Thompson

Authors
  1. Oliver R. Marmoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sian E. Handley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dorothy A. Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oliver R. Marmoy.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organisation or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Informed consent

This was registered with the GOSH UCL Joint Research and Development Office as a retrospective case series report under Registration Number 19SS05.

Statement of human rights

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research and development service and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Statement on the welfare of animals

This article does not contain any studies with animals.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Marmoy, O.R., Handley, S.E. & Thompson, D.A. Pattern-onset and OFFset visual evoked potentials in the diagnosis of hemianopic field defects. Doc Ophthalmol 142, 165–176 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-020-09785-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-020-09785-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation