Single vs. paired visual stimulation: superposition of early neuromagnetic responses and retinotopy in extrastriate cortex in humans

Neuromagnetic techniques were used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to: (1) localize and characterize cortical sources evoked by visual stimuli presented at different locations in the lower right visual field; (2) examine the superposition of cortical responses by comparing the summation of responses to the presentation of single stimuli with responses to paired stimuli; and (3) examine the spatial resolution of magnetoencephalographic (MEG) techniques by comparing the identified source locations evoked by the presentation of single vs. paired stimuli. Using multi-dipole, non-linear minimization analyses, three sources were localized for each stimulus condition during the initial 80-170 ms poststimulus interval for all subjects. In addition to an occipital source, two extrastriate sources were identified: occipital-parietal and occipital-temporal. Each source evidenced a systematic shift in location associated with changes in stimulus placement parallel to the vertical meridian. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of retinotopic organization of extrastriate areas, using non-invasive neuromagnetic techniques. The paired presentation of stimuli reflected superposition of the responses evoked by single stimuli but only for early activity up to 150 ms poststimulus. Undersummation was evident after 150 ms. All sources identified for single stimuli were also identified in the paired-stimulus responses; but at the expense of larger errors for some of the estimated parameters. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.