A double blind study of vitamin B6 in Down's syndrome infants. Part 2--Cortical auditory evoked potentials.
Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were recorded at 1 and at 3 years of age in 19 children with Down's syndrome participating in a double blind trial of vitamin B6 and placebo begun in early infancy and continued for 3 years. CAEPs have previously been shown to have abnormally high amplitude in Down's syndrome patients. The CAEPs of the patients in the B6-treated and placebo groups were compared. Only minor effects were found in the CAEPs recorded at 1 year of age. At 3 years of age, however, comparison of the B6-treated group and the placebo group revealed significant differences in both amplitudes and latencies of CAEP components. Peak to peak amplitudes of prominent components were significantly lower in B6-treated patients than in their placebo controls. Amplitude correlated in some cases with whole blood serotonin levels. Latencies for several prominent evoked peaks were significantly longer in B6-treated patients.
Frager
J
J
Barnet
A
A
Weiss
I
I
Coleman
M
M
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011732:Pyridoxal Phosphate / Q000097:blood; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood
D012701:Serotonin; D011732:Pyridoxal Phosphate; D011736:Pyridoxine