Statistical analysis of the parameters defining the cortical visual evoked potentials in the phases of the sleep-wake cycle

Abstract

Visual evoked potential parameters (latencies, intervals of latencies and amplitudes) obtained by photic stimulation using a light-emitting diode implanted in the frontal sinus of cats were studied by statistical methods (analysis of variance) during the stages of wakefulness, slow sleep and paradoxical sleep.The results show: a) greater intraindividual homogeneity in all cases with special emphasis on the latencies; b) the greatest homogeneity of responses was found during slow sleep and paradoxical sleep stages; c) in relation to the influences exerted by the sleep-wakefulness cycle on the visual evoked potentials, the parameters most affected were those closely related to the secondary complex.We conclude, that latency, due to its great homogeneity, is the most useful parameter in this kind of experiments and secondly, that it is the secondary complex of the visual evoked potentials that is affected by the endogenous conditions of the subject (in our case the sleep-wakefulness cycle stage).