Time-frequency analysis of flicker-burst visual evoked responses

Abstract

Knowing the properties of the EEG-signal related to a visual stimulus is of fundamental importance for an adequate design of a signal detection method, e.g. In objective sensory function diagnostics. From a signal-theoretical point of view the steady state visual evoked response (VER), but under physiological aspects the transient VER seems to be more appropriate for reliable signal detection. A stimulation with flicker-bursts is proposed combining both methods. The EEG/VER-signals have been analyzed with different methods of time-frequency analysis: spectrogram, pseudo-Wigner distribution, cone-kernel representation, reduced-interference distribution are applied to real signals. Concerning feature extraction of the stimulus-method, the reduced-interference distribution offers the best properties.