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Visual evoked potentials in dyslexics and normals: Failure to find a difference in transient or steady-state responses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Jonathan D. Victor
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, The New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center, New York Laboratory of Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York
Mary M. Conte
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, The New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center, New York Laboratory of Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York
Leslie Burton
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, The New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center, New York
Ruth D. Nass
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, New York University Medical Center, New York

Abstract

We measured transient and steady-state checkerboard contrast-reversal visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in ten dyslexics, five patient controls, and 11 normals over a range of contrasts and luminances. Latency, amplitude, and phase measurements failed to distinguish the responses of dyslexics from those of normals or patient controls. Decreases in luminance or contrast resulted in an increased latency of the transient VEP in all groups, but these changes also did not distinguish the responses of dyslexics from those of the controls. Response variability was similar in dyslexics and normals, but was increased in subjects with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Performance on standardized psychometric testing did differentiate the dyslexics from controls, but did not correlate with VEP responses.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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