Dynamic change of ERPs related to selective attention to signals from left and right visual field during head-down tilt

To study further the effect of head-down tilt (HDT) on slow positive potential in the event-related potentials (ERPs), the temporal and spatial features of visual ERPs changes during 2 hour HDT (-10 degrees) were compared with that during HUT (+20 degrees) in 15 normal subjects. The stimuli were consisted of two color LED flashes appeared randomly in left or right visual field (LVF or RVF) with same probability. The subjects were asked to make switch response to target signals (T) differentially: switching to left for T in LVF and to right for T in RVF, ignoring non-target signals(N). Five sets of tests were made during HUT and HDT. ERPs were obtained from 9 locations on scalp. The mean value of the ERPs in the period from 0.32-0.55 s was taken as the amplitude of slow positive potential(P400). The main results were as follows. 1) The mean amplitude of P400 decreased during HDT which was more significant at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th set of tests; 2) spatially, the reduction of mean P400 amplitude during HDT was more significant for signals from RVF and was more significant at posterior and central brain regions than that on frontal locations. As that the positive potential probably reflects the active inhibition activity in the brain during attention process, these data provide further evidence showing that the higher brain function was affected by the simulated weightlessness and that this effect was not only transient but also with interesting spatial characteristics.