Association between auditory event-related potential latencies and apathy severity in Parkinson's disease: a...

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are used to investigate neuropsychological dysfunction; however, the relationship between ERPs and apathy in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains underexplored. We aimed to examine the association between ERP latency and amplitude and apathy in patients with PD.

Auditory ERP components (N100, N200, and P300) were recorded using an oddball paradigm. Patients with PD were divided into apathy and non-apathy groups, and group differences in ERP measures were analyzed. Multivariable regression and correlation analyses were conducted to examine the associations Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS) scores and N200 and P300 latencies across all participants.

Thirty-six patients with PD were enrolled, including 19 in the apathy group and 17 in the non-apathy group. The apathy group showed significantly prolonged N200 (250.5 ± 27.7 vs. 215.3 ± 16.6 ms, p < 0.001) and P300 latencies (378.7 ± 24.2 vs. 353.3 ± 34.9 ms, p = 0.015) compared with the non-apathy group. In multivariable analyses adjusting for age, depression, cognitive function, and medication dose, apathy severity remained independently associated with N200 (β = 2.59, 95% CI 1.39-3.78, p < 0.001) and P300 latency (β = 1.78, 95% CI 0.31-3.24, p = 0.019). SAS scores were positively correlated with N200 latency (rho = 0.647, 95% CI 0.388-0.829, p < 0.001) and P300 latency (rho = 0.573, 95% CI 0.277-0.780, p < 0.001).

Patients with PD and apathy exhibited prolonged N200 and P300 latencies compared with those without apathy, and these latencies were correlated with apathy severity. ERP latencies may represent neurophysiological correlates of apathy in PD.