Pattern visual evoked potentials in the rat.

Pattern and flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were obtained in 25 adult male hooded rats. Different electrode placements were used to detect the origin of the VEPs. The spatial frequency and temporal modulation of the stimulating pattern and the refractive state of the eye were varied to investigate the specificity of these factors in pattern VEPs. Variations in latency, amplitude, and trace morphology were found which were consistent with the characteristics of the visual system of the rat.