Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials in children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
In the course of anorexia nervosa (AN), the central nervous system (CNS) undergoes both anatomic and functional changes that may cause disturbances of stimulation transmission in the sensory areas of CNS. Method of brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) was used in the children with AN to test the auditory pathway transmission.


METHODS
The study included 37 children and adolescents, aged 10-18 years, with clinically diagnosed AN. BAEPs were recorded after a click stimulation of 75 dB intensity. Then, wave I latency (response from the auditory nerve) and inter-peak latency I-V (IPL I-V; response from the brain-stem) were analyzed.


RESULTS
Abnormalities of the BAEPs recordings were noted total in 32.4% of the study patients. Predominantly (in 24.3%), a decreased transmission within the brain-stem, expressed as the IPL I-V prolongation, was observed. It was also found that the percentage of the abnormal BAEPs results and the degree of IPL I-V prolongation were increasing together with enhancing AN severity.


CONCLUSIONS
IPL I-V prolongation observed in the AN children reflects a disturbed neural transmission in the brain-stem section of the auditory pathway and can be ascribed to impairments in the nerves myelin sheath.
Pilecki
Witold
W
Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University, Wrocław, Poland. witpil@patfiz.am.wroc.pl
Bolanowski
Marek
M
Szawrowicz-Pelka
Teresa
T
Kalka
Dariusz
D
Janocha
Anna
A
Salomon
Ewa
E
Rusiecki
Leslaw
L
Czerchawski
Leszek
L
Sobieszczanska
Malgorzata
M
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index