Hemispheric differences for visual evoked potentials from checkerboard stimuli

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were elicited in right-handed male subjects with an alternating checkerboard pattern stimulus presented to either the left or right visual half-field. The sizes of the individual checks in different conditions were 0.25, 0.5, 2.0, or 4.0 cycles/degree of visual angle. The amplitude of the P100 VEP decreased while peak latency increased as check size decreased across both visual field conditions. Left hemisphere responses demonstrated significantly larger P100 amplitudes compared to the right hemisphere responses, although the interaction between hemisphere and stimulus size was not significant. No hemispheric effects of P100 latency were observed. The results suggest that the left hemisphere is engaged more than the right hemisphere for the sensory analysis of visual stimuli composed of straight edges over a wide range of spatial frequencies.