P300 endogen evoked potentials in somatization disorder: a controlled study.
BACKGROUND
Somatization disorder (SD) is considered the most valid, reliable and consistent disorder over time from the entire group of somatoform disorders and the most disabling and expensive for the health system. The aim of this paper is to assess the discriminative, attentional and cognitive process in SD patients by auditory-stimulus P300 evoked potential.


METHODS



METHODS
case-control study.


METHODS
cases group is made up of 25 patients, selected from the Miguel Servet University Hospital Somatoform Disorder Unit, that fulfill DSM-IV-TR criteria of SD using EPEP psychiatric interview. Twenty-five healthy and volunteer individuals without psychiatric or neurological disorders or history of disease were selected as control group. Both groups were matched by gender and age.


RESULTS
Mean P300 latency was significantly (p<0.01) higher in SD patients than in healthy people. The rest of variables studied (N100 latency, P200 latency, P300 amplitude in Pz) did not show any significant differences.


CONCLUSIONS
SD patients show electrophysiological disturbances in the cognitive process of information.
García-Campayo
J
J
Servicio de Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Avenida Isabel La Católica 1-3, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. jgarcamp@arrakis.es
Pascual López
A
A
Almárcegui Lafita
C
C
Morales Bara
I
I
Dolz Zaera
I
I
de Vicente Alvarez-Manzaneda
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*