Visual tagging frequency influences SSVEP and early ERP responses during detection and working memory

Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) are widely used to track selective attention by tagging different visual objects at distinct flicker frequencies. However, whether the choice of tagging frequency itself influences neural and cognitive measures beyond the SSVEP response remains unclear. Here, 27 participants performed detection and 1-back working memory tasks while a central target and peripheral distractors flickered at either 8.6–12 Hz, with the location of each frequency counterbalanced across participants.

The working memory task produced slower responses, more errors, and greater perceived difficulty than detection. Tagging frequency strongly influenced neural responses, with 8.6 Hz eliciting higher SSVEP signal-to-noise ratios than 12 Hz regardless of stimulus location. Nevertheless, stronger SSVEP responses for centrally attended stimuli were associated with fewer working memory errors, while SSVEPs for attended and distractor stimuli were negatively correlated.

In addition, the working memory task produced a larger P1-N1 peak-to-peak difference, and tagging frequency modulated the amplitude of early ERP responses. Together, these findings indicate that tagging frequency can influence SSVEP and early ERP measures and should be treated as an active design factor in frequency-tagging studies. We thank Professor Neil Levy for his support and advice on study design.

Thank you to the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia for supporting data collection for this study. This work was financially supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation awarded to Professor Neil Levy and Professor Robert Hester, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and The University of Melbourne, Australia. School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Department of Biomedical Engineering and Graeme Clark Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), School of Medicine, Deakin University, PO Box 281, Geelong, 3220, Vic, Australia Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia The authors declare no competing interests.

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