Do's and don'ts in Fourier analysis of steady-state potentials Augenklinik Allg. On the statistical significance of electrophysiological steady-state responses. Do's and don'ts in Fourier analysis of steady-state potentials.
Stimuli are periodic, and there is control over their frequency and absolute phase.
This a-priori information can increase the power of the response measures as compared to textbook examples on Fourier analysis. As we know the stimulus frequency exactly, we can avoid this artifact. Luckily, it doesn't affect the conclusion. The experimental parameters principally determine the number of data points per sweep. Textbooks suggest to fill up with zeros.