Imaging visual function with the multifocal m-sequence technique.

The multifocal m-sequence technique is a versatile set of tools for visual electrophysiology designed to provide access to the complex dynamic interplay of converging signals in the central nervous system. Here, a number of uses for the technique are demonstrated, with examples from human electroretinography. A simple relationship between the binary kernels extracted from a single experiment permits us to distinguish local from lateral interactions in the retina. Transformation of the series of binary kernels into response sequences provides new insight into unexpected fast dynamic properties of retinal responses and facilitates future modeling of the signals as well as identification of the signal sources.