Effects of Visual Attention on the Latency of Auditory Evoked Potentials.

摘要

An investigation of the effects of different attentive conditions on the latency and amplitude characteristics of the auditory click-evoked potential (45 to 135 db) was carried out in chronically implanted cats (middle ear muscles cut). When the cats were attending to a visual task the amplitude of the auditory evoked potential was reduced and the latency to the peak of n sub 1 increased. The magnitude of these changes was influenced by the degree of attention required, increased. The magnitude of these changes was influenced by the degree of attention required, demonstrating that centrifugal control of afferent input is a dynamic rather than fixed process. It was concluded that previously published criteria for demonstrating differential neural control of afferent input in chronic subjects on the basis of a lack of latency shifts are of questionable value. (Author)