Characteristics of High-Frequency SSVEPs Evoked by Visual Stimuli at Different Polar Angles

The mapping of visual space onto human striate cortex allows the location of stimuli to affect the scalp distributions of electroencephalogram (EEG). To clarify the relationship between the characteristics of elicited high-frequency steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) and the polar angle of stimulus, this study divided the annulus into eight symmetrical annular sectors (i.e., octants) as separate visual stimuli. For both 30 Hz and 60 Hz, the response intensity and classification accuracy indicated that the annular sectors in the lower visual field evoked stronger responses than those in the upper visual field. This paper also evaluated the phase differences between SSVEPs at specific polar angles and found clear individual differences across subjects. These findings may lead to inspirations for the design of new space coding methods for the SSVEP-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).