J Korean Neurosurg Soc.  1998 Mar;27(3):351-356.

Significance of Cognitive Evoked Potentials in Patients with Mild to Moderate Head Injury

• Kwon YJ
• Kim GK
• Lim YJ
• Kim TS
• Rhee BA
• Leem W

Abstract

Cognitive evoked potential(CEP) is the result of endogenous brain response following cognitive stimulus. Only P3 wave is widely applicated in clinical fields among several kinds of waves. We examined the CEP in 53 patients with mild to moderate head injury and 59 control subjects for evaluation of the relationship between P3 finding and head injury with respect to severity of head injury, CT or MRI findings, psychometric diagnosis, and EEG findings. The results are followings: 1) The patients with moderate head injury had significant prolongation of P3 latency compared with mild head injured patients. However there was no statistical difference in latencies and amplitudes between mild head injured patients and controls. 2) The patients with abnormal CT or MRI findings had significant prolongation of P3 latency compared with the patients with normal finding. And the patients with normal finding displayed significant abnormalities of the P3 latency and amplitude compared with normal controls. 3) The patients with organic brain syndrome had significant prolongation of P3 latency compared with the patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. And the patients with post-traumatic stress disorder displayed significant abnormalities of the P3 latency and amplitude compared with normal controls. 4) Abnormalities of electroencephalogram were not correlated with pronlongation of P3 latencies. On the basis of these data, we conclude that cognitive evoked potential can be used as an objective index of cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate head injury.

Keyword

Cognitive evoked potential; P3 wave; Latency; Head injury

MeSH Terms

Brain
Craniocerebral Trauma*
Diagnosis
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials*
Head*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Psychometrics
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic