Cognitive function in non-demented individuals complaining of short-term memory disturbances: a study with event-related potentials (P 300) and brain CT scan.
Event-related potentials (ERPs) were elicited in 30, non-consecutive, non-demented individuals, complaining of short-term memory disturbances. Fifteen of them had a moderate diffuse cerebral atrophy on their brain CT and the other 15 had a negative brain CT. ERPs were also elicited in 15 age-matched controls with no reported memory disturbances and negative brain CTs. The statistical analysis showed that the group of individuals with cerebral atrophy had a significantly prolonged P300 (P3) latency and a decreased P3 amplitude compared to controls. It is concluded that among persons complaining of short-term memory disturbances, the individuals who show cerebral atrophy, taken as a group, have a P3 latency prolongation and/or low P3 amplitude a finding which reflects an impaired information processing.
Triantafyllou
N I
NI
Neurological Clinic, Eginition Hospital, University of Athens, Greece.
Aivalis
N
N
Alexopoulos
S
S
Romessis
N
N
Gerontas
A
A
Stavropoulos
P
P
Sfagos
C
C
Athanassopoulou
A
A
Gouliamos
A
A
Papageorgiou
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000295:instrumentation; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed