M and P Components of the VEP and their Visual Field Distribution

To study components related to parallel processing of information across the visual field, multi-focal pattern reversal visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded using binary m-sequences. Contrast, chromatic, spatial and temporal characteristics of the stimuli were varied in order to favor contributions from either M or P pathways. Responses were decomposed into two additive components whose behavior was consistent with that of M and P mechanisms. The results suggest that contributions to the VEP from the M pathway precede those from the P pathway, and that the ratio of P/M contributions decreases with eccentricity.