Long-term maturation of visual pathways

Abstract

Previous research in adults has demonstrated the utility of the visual evoked potential (VEP) to measure the integrity of the chromatic and achromatic visual pathways. The VEP has also been shown to be a valuable indicator of maturation of these pathways in infants up to 1 year of age. The present manuscript reports changes in the visual pathways from 2 years to adulthood as measured by the spatio-chromatic VEP. The responses to achromatic reversal stimuli designed to preferentially activate the low spatial-frequency achromatic (luminance) pathways appear adult-like by 1 year of age. The responses to low spatial-frequency isoluminant onset stimuli designed to preferentially activate the chromatic pathway do not appear as they do in the adult until after 12–13 years of age. The shapes of the chromatic VEP waveforms shift from a positive–negative complex to a negative–positive complex. These changes can be modeled by a decrease in the latency of a large negative component between the ages of 1 year and adulthood. The results suggest that for low spatial-frequency stimuli, there are long-term changes in the development of the chromatic pathways that are not observed in the low spatial-frequency achromatic pathways. The changes in the chromatic VEP waveforms with age may be a physiological correlate of reported behavioral changes.