Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of age on steady-state pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials

  • Published:
Documenta Ophthalmologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Steady-state pattern-reversal electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials were simultaneously recorded in two groups of young and elderly normal volunteers. The young group consisted of 23 subjects (13 women and 10 men) aged 18 to 28 years, and the elderly group consisted of 24 subjects (11 women and 13 men) aged 58 to 77 years. Stimuli were square-wave gratings ranging in spatial frequency from 0.5 to 6 c/deg and phase reversed at a frequency of 4 Hz. Pattern-reversal electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials consisted of a prominent second and a smaller fourth harmonic response. Spatial frequency-amplitude functions of the pattern-reversal electroretinogram second and fourth harmonics were similar for the young and elderly groups. The mean fourth harmonic phase was significantly shifted in elderly subjects compared with young subjects for all spatial frequencies tested. Spatial frequency tuning was observed for amplitude and phase functions of the visual evoked potential second and fourth harmonic responses for both age groups. Age had a significant effect on phase for spatial frequencies above 1.5 c/deg. Amplitude of the fourth harmonic was significantly lower for the elderly group at 1.5–4 c/deg. Phase was significantly different between groups for spatial frequencies below 3 c/deg. Our results suggest that aging influences both retinal and central visual pathways. Aging differentially affected the visual evoked potential second and fourth harmonic responses, suggesting different neuronal origins for these components.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Celesia GG, Daley RF. Effects of aging on visual evoked responses. Arch Neurol 1977; 34: 403–7.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Celesia GG, Kaufman D, Cone S. Effects of age and sex on pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1987; 68: 161–71.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Sokol S, Moskowitz A, Towle VL. Age-related changes in the latency of the visual evoked potential. Influence of check size. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1981; 51: 559–62.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Halliday AM, Barrett G, Carroll WM, Kriss A. Problems in defining the normal limits of the visual evoked potential. In: Courjon J, Mauguiere F, Revol, M, eds. Clinical applications of evoked potentials in neurology. New York: Raven Press, 1982: 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Allison T, Hume AL, Wood CC, Goff WR, Wood CC, Goff WR. Developmental and aging changes in somatosensory, auditory and visual evoked potentials. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1984; 58: 14–24.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Wright CE, Williams DE, Drasdo N, Harding GFA. The influence of age on the electroretinogram and visual evoked potential. Doc Ophthalmol 1985; 59: 365–84.

    Google Scholar 

  7. La Marche JA, Dobson WR, Cohn NB, Dustman RE. Amplitudes of visually evoked potentials to patterned stimuli. Age and sex comparisons. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1986; 65: 81–85.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Babolini B, Porciatti V, Falsini B, Scalia G, Neroni M, Moretti G. Macular electroretinogram as a function of age of subjects. Doc Ophthalmol 1988; 70: 37–43.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Porciatti V, Falsini B, Scalia G, Fadda A, Fontanesi G. The pattern electroretinogram by skin electrodes. Effect of spatial frequency and age. Doc Ophthalmol 1988; 70: 117–22.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Tomoda H, Celesia GG, Cone Toleikis SC. Effects of spatial frequency on simultaneous recorded steady-state pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1991; 80: 81–88.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Mardia KV. Statistics of directional data. London: Academic Press, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Zar JH. Biostatistical analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1974: 310–28.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Sekuler R, Picciano Hutman L. Spatial vision and aging. I. Contrast sensitivity. J. Gerontol 1980; 35: 692–99.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Loewenfeld IE. Pupillary changes related to age. In: Thompson HS, ed. Topics in Neuro-ophthalmology. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1979: 124–50.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Tobimatsu S, Celesia GG, Cone SB. Effects of pupil diameter and luminance changes on pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials. Clin Vision Sci 1988; 2: 293–302.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Plant GT, Hess RF. The electrophysiological assessment of optic neuritis. In: Hess RF, Plant GT, eds. Optic neuritis. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1986: 192–229.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Plant GT, Hess RF, Thomas SJ. The pattern evoked electroretinogram in optic neuritis. A combined psychophysical and electrophysiological study. Brian 1986; 109: 469–90.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Trick GL, Wintermeyer DH. Spatial and temporal frequency tuning of pattern reversal retinal potentials. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1982; 23: 774–79.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Odom JV, Madia TM, Dawson WW. Pattern evoked retinal response (PERR) in human: effect of spatial frequency, temporal frequency, luminance and defocus, Curr Eye Res 1982; 2: 99–108.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Trick GL, Trick LR, Haywood KM. Altered pattern evoked retinal and cortical potentials associated with human senescence. Curr Eye Res 1986; 5: 717–24.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Holopigian K, Snow J, Seiple W, Siegel I. Variablity of the pattern electroretinogram. Doc Ophthalmol 1988; 70: 103–15.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Strasburger H, Scheidler W, Rentschler I. Amplitude and phase characteristics of the steady-state visual evoked potential. Appl Optics 1988; 27: 1069–88.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Regan D. Human brain electrophysiology. Evoked potentials and evoked magnetic fields in science and medicine. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1989: 420–21.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Stockard JJ, Hughes JE, Sharbrough FW. Visually evoked potentials to electronic pattern reversal: latency variations with gender, age and technical factors. Am J EEG Technol 1979; 19: 171–204.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Shearer DE, Dustman RE. The pattern reversal evoked potential: the need for laboratory norms. Am J EEG Technol 1980; 20: 185–200.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Derefeldt G, Lennerstrand G, Lundth B. Age variations in normal human contrast sensitivity. Acta Ophthalmol 1979; 57: 679–90.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Kline DW, Schieber F, Abusamra LC, Coyne AC. Age, the eye, and the visual channels: contrast sensitivity and response speed. J Gerontol 1983; 38: 211–16.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Weale RA. Senile ocular changes, cell death, and vision. In: Sekuler R, Klein D, Dismukes K, eds. Aging and Human visual function. New York: Alan R Liss Inc, 1982: 161–71.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Weale RA. Focus on vision. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1982: 1–194.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Ordy JM, Brizzee KR. Functional and structural age differences in the visual system of man and nonhuman primate models. In: Ordy JM, Brizzee KR, eds. Sensory systems and communication in the elderly. New York: Raven Press, 1979: 13–50.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Devaney KO, Johnson HA. Neuron loss in the aging visual cortex of man. J Gerontol 1980; 35: 836–41.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Dolman CL, McCormick AQ, Drance SM. Aging of the optic nerve. Arch Ophthalmol 1980; 98: 2053–58.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Balazsi AG, Rootman J, Drance SM, Schulzer M, Douglas GR. The effect of age on the nerve fiber population of the human optic nerve. Am J Ophthalmol 1984; 97: 760–66.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Loyola University of Chicago, Struck School of Medicine and Veterans Administration Hospital, 60153, Maywood, IL, USA

    Hiroyuki Tomoda, Gastone G. Celesia, Mitchell G. Brigell & Sandra Toleikis

Authors
  1. Hiroyuki Tomoda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gastone G. Celesia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mitchell G. Brigell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sandra Toleikis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tomoda, H., Celesia, G.G., Brigell, M.G. et al. The effects of age on steady-state pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials. Doc Ophthalmol 77, 201–211 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00161368

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00161368

Key words

Search

Navigation