Age-related changes of evoked potentials

The aim of this review is to analyse the current state of our knowledge on evoked potentials (EPs) in ageing and to report some conclusions on the rel ation between EPs and elder age. Evoked potentials provide a measure of the function of sensory systems that change during the different stages of lif e. Each sensory system has its own time of maturation. The individuation of the exact period of life when brain ageing starts is difficult to define. Normally, the amplitude of EPs decreases, and their latency increases from adult to elder life. Many authors speculate that these modifications might depend on neuronal loss, changes in cell membrane, composition or senile pl aques present in older patients, but there is no evidence that these change s might modify the cerebral function in healthy aged individuals. This revi ew emphasises some incongruities present in different studies confirmed by daily neurophysiologic practice. Different techniques as event-related desy nchronization (ERD), contingent negative variation (CNV) and Bereitschaftsp otential, are available to study central neuronal changes in normal and pat hologic ageing. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicates Elsevier SAS.