Longitudinal P300 latency changes in Alzheimer's disease.

A longitudinal study of the changes in latency of the P300 (P3) wave of the auditory event-related brain potential was undertaken in a group of 18 thoroughly screened and diagnosed possible and probable Alzheimer's disease (pAD) patients and 15 normal controls. On initial recording, P3 latency was significantly prolonged in the pAD group by more than 1.5 standard deviations (40 msec) beyond the normal group. Over the course of the next 3 years, the rate of increase in P3 latency was significantly greater for the patient group than for the controls. The rate of change in P3 latency may reflect accelerated senescence in Alzheimer's disease. Development of the auditory P300 as a marker of neurobiological processes in aging and dementia is discussed.