COGNITIVE CORRELATES AND POTENTIALS RELAT ED TO EVENTS (P300) IN OLD-AGE

The P300 is a long latency component of Event-Related Potentials (ERP) , that has been associated with memory, attention, probability, stimul us assessment and decision marking. The P300 has been used to assess c hanges in the cognitive processes that take place during normal and pa thological aging. The purpose of the present work was to study the rel ationship between the N100 and P300 component (latency and amplitude) among memory and attention. One-hundred and six neurologically intact subjects between 20 and 100 years were studied using a neuropsychologi cal battery that included attention and memory tasks. The P300 was gen erated using the classic ''oddball'' paradigm. Statistical analysis in cluded a Principal Component Analysis and a Pearson product moment cor relation. We found a significant correlation between attention and mem ory that require the information to be stored and recalled later. The electrophysiological and neuropsychological findings obtained in norma l subjects can serve as an objective parameter to differentiate betwee n benign and pathological aging.