Effect of age on sensory gating of the sleep state-dependent P1/P50 midlatency auditory evoked potential

The P1/P50 midlatency auditory evoked potential is a sleep state-dependent waveform present during waking and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and absent during slow-wave sleep. The P50 potential was studied in normal male and female subjects of various ages including post-pubertal adolescents (12-19 yrs), young adults (24-39 yrs), middle-aged adults (40-55 yrs) and older adults (55-78 yrs). There were no statistically significant differences in the mean peak amplitude or mean peak latency of the P50 potential between males and females or between age groups. Using a paired stimulus paradigm, the degree of sensory gating of the P50 potential was tested at three different interstimulus intervals (ISIs), 250, 500 and 1000 msec. There were no statistically significant differences in the sensory gating of the P50 potential between males and females. However, there was a significant decrease in sensory gating of the P50 potential in the adolescent group compared to each of the other age groups at the 250 msec ISI, but not at the 500 or 1000 msec ISI. These results suggest the presence of decreased sensory gating in normal adolescents compared to normal, older age groups.