Evoked potentials in the elderly.
Evoked potentials (EPs) provide a quantitative measure of function rather than structure of certain pathways and processes within the nervous system. These systems and processes change with maturation and senescence. There are minimal somatosensory EPs changes after maturation until senescence. There are moderate changes in interpeak latencies, but few changes in the central conduction time (CCT). Brainstem auditory EPs change minimally with aging, with the CCT prolonging by 1-4 ms/year, possibly in a gender-dependent fashion. Latencies of visual EPs prolong by 2-4 ms/decade after age 40 years. The P300 amplitude, latency, and distribution all change with age. An understanding of the characteristics of EPs in aging humans is essential to accurate clinical interpretation of these studies.
Gilmore
R
R
Department of Neurology, University of Florida Health Science Center, Gainesville 32610, USA.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted