No effect of chronic fenfluramine on the P300 component of the event-related potential.
Five autistic children were administered a visual version of the oddball paradigm under both drug (chronic fenfluramine) and placebo conditions. The P300 component of the event-related potential (ERP) was not affected by fenfluramine, although the drug significantly lowered blood concentrations of serotonin. It was concluded that serotonin as a neurotransmitter does not play a major role in production of P300. This conclusion fits with the facts that: (1) the general functional role of serotonin in the nervous system is to globally inhibit the overt expression of behavior, and (2) P300 is generally insensitive to response selection processes.
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D005277:Fenfluramine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*
D005277:Fenfluramine; D012701:Serotonin