title: Age, sex and mental retardation related changes of brainstem auditory evoked potentials in Down's syndrome.
abstract: Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were recorded in 51 Down's syndrome (DS) subjects and compared with those of 38 normal controls; the correlations between the BAEP measures and age, sex, and degree of mental retardation were then evaluated. The DS patients showed a significant reduction in wave V latency and amplitude and in I-III, III-V, and I-V interpeak intervals. An age-related shortening of the I-V interpeak interval found in DS patients was interpreted as being a result of changes in central inhibitory/excitatory mechanisms. In both groups, female subjects presented an I-V interval shorter than that of males but this difference was greater in the DS subjects than in the normal population. The DS patients with severe mental retardation showed significantly longer I-V interpeak intervals than those with moderate retardation; this could be due to the presence of additional central nervous system abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Oasi per la Ricerca sul Ritardo Mentale e l'Invecchiamento Cerebrale, Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Gracco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elia
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Musumeci
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Stefanini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics