Sex effects on rate of change of P300 latency with age.
OBJECTIVE
Recent MRI evidence suggests that neuroanatomic structures may change more rapidly with age in males compared with females. Sex differences for P300 latency were tested to determine whether similar results might appear for P300 latency, a neurophysiological measure sensitive to age and neurodegenerative processes.


METHODS
Auditory event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded using an auditory 'oddball' to elicit the N200 and P300 components. Forty-two male and 42 female healthy normal subjects (age range 15-85 years) were entered in this study. Both linear and curvilinear correlations of N200 and P300 latency/amplitude with age were tested.


RESULTS
The slope of P300 latency on age for males was steeper than for females at Pz in subjects who were 30 years of age and older. N200 and P300 latencies were inversely correlated with age in young adult males (<30 years old).


CONCLUSIONS
Males may experience more rapid change of P300 latency, but not amplitude, than females in middle to old age. Further research is required to determine whether those change reflects neural pathophysiology, or is mediated by such factors as neuroanatomic differences, body temperature, or mild auditory deficits.
Hirayasu
Y
Y
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Brockton VA Medical Center, MA 02401, USA. yoh@ibm.net
Samura
M
M
Ohta
H
H
Ogura
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution