AUDITORY EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS IN PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY ON SODIUMVALPROATE MONOTHERAPY

The effects of antiepileptic drugs on event related potentials (ERPs) have been studied, but with contradictory results. In this study we ex amine the effect of sodium valproate (VPA) on ERPs in patients with ep ilepsy. Material and methods - Auditory event related potentials were recorded in 40 patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, 20 on mo notherapy with sodium valproate (VPA), 20 on monotherapy with carbamaz epine and 20 age and sex matched controls. All subjects performed a si mple auditory discrimination task in which a target tone was presented on 20% of the trials. Results - Mean P3 latency of the VPA group was significantly prolonged but not in carbamazepine group and healthy con trols. Conclusion - We conclude that VPA monotherapy has an effect on P300 latency in patients with epilepsy. This difference might be attri buted to effects of treatment with WA and may clarify in the future th e mechanism of P300.