Age-related changes of the somatosensory evoked potentials in healthy children.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to investigate the configuration and latency of the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in healthy children for the time from the neonatal period to adolescence.


METHODS
SEPs were recorded in 67 healthy children--37 boys and 30 girls from 0 to 16 years of age by means of median nerve stimulation. The active electrode was placed above the contralateral parietal cortex on places C3' and C4' and the reference electrode--on Fpz. The filters were 10-1000 Hz and the frequency of the electric stimulus--3 Hz.


RESULTS
The depression of the potential in the neonatal period is accounted for by the wide base and low amplitude of SEPs. The configuration of SEPs is identical with that of adult individuals after 3 years of age. The latencies of the waves P15, N20 and P25 decrease progressively with age and lengthen in the period from 9 to 16 years of age, with the increase of height. The interpeak latencies P15 - N20, N20 - P25 and P15 - P25 decrease with age, while the amplitude N20/P25 increase with age. We found significant variability in the amplitude of the potential, most pronounced in the neonatal period. It gradually decreases by 10-14 months of age and after that remains unchanged. We did not find any differences at stimulation between the left and the right hand.


CONCLUSIONS
The age-related changes in SEPs reflect the trends of the development and the maturation of the neural pathways and their better myelinization.
Department of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Ina E
IE
Geneva
Maya B
MB
Krasteva
Stefan S
SS
Kostianev
D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values