Pattern-VEP findings in individuals with mild cognitive impairment

Visual evoked potential (VEP) is a technique used to evaluate the electrical response of the brain to visual stimuli. This study aimed to examine neural transmission in the visual pathway by VEP test in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and compare it with age-appropriate controls and also investigate for a correlation between VEP parameters and cognitive test domains.

The groups consisted of 56 MCI and 50 healthy volunteers, aged 60-80 years, matched for age and education. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was applied to the participants for cognitive assessment. Patients were also subjected to other dementia screening tests and other treatable causes were excluded. In addition, groups were formed from those who completed the test. The pattern-reversal VEP method was used in this study.

The mean MMSE score in the MCI group was 21.42 ± 1.55 points. Our findings showed that individuals with MCI had a longer left P100 latency compared to controls (p = 0.027). In addition, right N75-P100 and right P100-N145 amplitudes of VEP parameters were found to be positively correlated with the recall test, which is one of the MMSE domains (p < 0.05, rho: 0.399,0.314).

The evidence provided by this study supports the possibility of using pattern VEP with clinical parameters to evaluate MCI patients. In addition, a positive correlation between interpeak amplitudes and the recall test highlights the importance of the VEP test in these patients.