Visual and auditory event related potentials in epileptic children with MRI abnormalities

Abstract

Visual (VERPs) and auditory event related potentials (AERPs) in is partial epileptic children with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities and 12 with normal MRI findings were studied. Of all 30 epileptic patients (17 male. 13 female) aged 14.05+/-4.42 (7-20) years, 13 were medically intractable and receiving polytherapy. The mean latencies of N2 and P3 components of VERPs in all epileptic children were significantly higher than those of 20 (10 male, 10 female) healthy children aged 12.05+/-3.0 (9-20) years (p<0.03). Epileptic patients with structural abnormalities had more prolonged latencies of N2 and P3 components of VERPs as compared to those of normal children (p<0.05). The mean latency of N2 component of VERPs in epileptic children without structural abnormality was higher than that in controls (p<0.05) whereas the mean P3 latency did not significantly changed. In all epileptic patients the mean latencies of N2 and P3 components of AERPs were higher than those of healthy controls: however the difference was not significant. Our results indicate that prolonged latencies of P3 component of VERPs in partial epilepsy may be related to the presence of gross structural abnormality.