Developmental changes of pattern reversal visual evoked potentials.

Analysis of developmental changes in pattern reversal visual evoked potentials (PVEPs) was performed on 141 normal children ranging in age from 1 month to 19 years 4 months. The stimulus was a black and white checkerboard pattern on a television screen, and the check edge subtended 50 min of retinal arc. The major positive peak (P2) was observed in all subjects, and the incidence of other peaks tended to increase with age. The P2 latency decreased rapidly during the first six months of life and reached a constant value after the age of 2 years. The P2 latency with monocular stimulation was significantly longer than that with binocular stimulation in most age groups. Developmental changes of the N1-P2 or P2-N2 amplitudes were unclear, and the standard deviation of the amplitude in each age was too large for clinical application. The P2 latency with binocular stimulation was shorter for females than for males only at the age of 8-11 years.