title: P300 development across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The P300 component of the event-related potential is a large positive waveform that can be extracted from the ongoing electroencephalogram using a two-stimuli oddball paradigm, and has been associated with cognitive information processing (e.g. memory, attention, executive function). This paper reviews the development of the auditory P300 across the lifespan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A systematic review and meta-analysis on the P300 was performed including 75 studies (n = 2,811). Scopus was searched for studies using healthy subjects and that reported means of P300 latency and amplitude measured at Pz and mean age. These findings were validated in an independent, existing cross-sectional dataset including 1,572 participants from ages 6-87. Curve-fitting procedures were applied to obtain a model of P300 development across the lifespan. In both studies logarithmic Gaussian models fitted the latency and amplitude data best. The P300 latency and amplitude follow a maturational path from childhood to adolescence, resulting in a period that marks a plateau, after which degenerative effects begin. We were able to determine ages that mark a maximum (in P300 amplitude) or trough (in P300 latency) segregating maturational from degenerative stages. We found these points of deflection occurred at different ages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is hypothesized that latency and amplitude index different aspects of brain maturation. The P300 latency possibly indexes neural speed or brain efficiency. The P300 amplitude might index neural power or cognitive resources, which increase with maturation.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute Brainclinics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rik
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Dinteren
authors.affiliation: Research Institute Brainclinics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; Utrecht University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arns
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marijtje L A
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Jongsma
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands ; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Roy P C
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Kessels
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time