Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 1983;46:1125-1133 Transient visually evoked potentials to sinusoidal gratings in optic neuritis

SUMMARY Transient visually evoked potentials (VEPs) to sinusoidal gratings over a range of spatial frequencies have been recorded in cases of optic neuritis. The use of the response to pattern onset in addition to the response to pattern reversal extended the range to higher spatial frequencies by up to two octaves. There was an increase in VEP delay and a greater degree of discrimination from a control group at higher spatial frequencies. This finding is discussed in the light of previous reports of luminance and checkerboard VEPs in demyelinating optic nerve disease. An attempt is made to relate amplitude changes in various VEP components to contrast sensitivity measurements in this group of patients. Following the demonstration by Halliday et al ' of the delayed pattern visually evoked potential (VEP) in optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis2 the test has become a useful clinical tool in the diagnosis of the latter condition. The earliest reports, however, of more than a 90 % incidence of abnormalities in the important "probable " and "possible " diagnosti