Evoked potentials (EPs) provide a unique way of analyzing the relation
ship between genes and behavior. Individual differences in EPs, in res
ponse to light flashes of two intensities and pattern reversal, were s
tudied in families from the isolated population Mechelta in the Northe
rn Caucasus. While there were no age or sex differences in EP latency,
or many age effects on amplitude, there were sex differences on the a
mplitude measures. Variation in the additive genetic determination of
latency and amplitude measures is discussed. The largest estimates of
additive genetic variation were found for the complexes of amplitude m
easures between the positive and negative waveforms.