Parametric method for the detection of inter- and intrasweep variability in VEP processing

The paper introduces a Kalman filter procedure for the processing of single-sweep visual evoked potentials (VEPs). The identification of the filter coefficients is based on a model of signal and noise interaction which considers the generating process as the superposition of the true evoked response to an AR process (the background EEG) and a broader spectrum noise. Intersweep variability is thus evident on the filtered response and a functional parameter of the filter (VP(t), namely variability path) is proposed for the automatic determination of the latencies associated with the main peaks of the response. Finally, the time-variant algorithm allows the quantification of the intrasweep variability for possible interpretation of the physiological mechanism involved. © 1991 IFMBE.