title: Vagus somatosensory evoked potentials are delayed in Alzheimer's disease, but not in major depression.
abstract: In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the degeneration of brainstem nuclei is different from major depression (MD). Thus, vagus somatosensory evoked potentials (VSEP) proposed for the functional assessment of brainstem nuclei should show prolonged latencies in AD but not in MD. In 55 AD patients, 57 MD patients and two age-matched control groups evoked potentials were recorded upon stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. In the AD, not in the MD group, latencies were significantly longer as compared to controls. Thus, the method of VSEP could contribute to the important differential diagnosis of AD and MD in elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Wuerzburg, Fuechsleinstrasse 15, 97080, Wuerzburg, Germany, Polak_T@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Polak
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dresler
authors.forename: Julia B M
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Zeller
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Warrings
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheuerpflug
authors.forename: Andreas J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fallgatter
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deckert
authors.forename: Florian G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Metzger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055536:Vagus Nerve Stimulation
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides