Steady state visually evoked potential

In neurology and neuroscience research, steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) are signals that are natural responses to visual stimulation at specific frequencies. When the retina is excited by a visual stimulus ranging from 3.5 Hz to 75 Hz, the brain generates electrical activity at the same (or multiples of) frequency of the visual stimulus.

SSVEPs are typically measured using electroencephalography. SSVEPs are useful in research because of the excellent signal-to-noise ratio and relative immunity to artifacts. SSVEPs also provide a means to characterize preferred frequencies of neocortical dynamic processes. SSVEPs are generated by stationary localized sources and distributed sources that exhibit characteristics of wave phenomena.

SSVEPs have been widely used in vision, cognitive neuroscience (e.g., visual attention, binocular rivalry, working memory, alpha range), and clinical neuroscience (e.g., aging and neurodegenerative disorders, schizophrenia, epilepsy) research. They are also used for brain-computer-interfaces.