Delay in P300 latency in patients with organic solvent exposure

Event-related potentials were examined in 12 individuals with a history of organic solvent exposure and in 19 nonexposed controls. The latencies of the N250 and P300 components of the auditory event-related potential were significantly delayed in the solvent-exposed patients compared with those in normal controls. Amplitudes of the N100, P200, and N250 components were larger in the solvent-exposed group, but the P300 amplitude did not differentiate between groups. A comparison with data from clinically stable outpatient schizophrenics indicated that P300 latencies were longer in the solvent-exposed group. Within the exposed group, P300 latency was positively correlated with length of exposure. The delay in N250 and P300 provides evidence that solvent exposure slows central nervous system mechanisms that evaluate and/or process relevant stimuli. The assessment of event-related potentials may be an especially useful way to evaluate central nervous system integrity in persons who have had a neurotoxic exposure.