Event-related potentials in diagnosis and assesment of treatment of Alzheimer' disease.

To improve the efficiency of the patient in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are used acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, e.g. donepezil, which leads to increase the amount of acetylcholine in the cortex of the brain and enhances cognitive processes, including memory and thinking efficiency, especially in the initial stage of the disease, delaying the moment of the failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of event-related potentials system for monitoring patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with oral inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase. Material consisted of event-related potentials findings of 30-patient during routine treatment of Alzheimer's disease using inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, made ??in the EEG Laboratory of our Neurological Clinic. Tests were performed before inclusion and during therapy. The control group consisted of the 30 healthy subjects of the similar age. The results revealed that event-related potentials in patients with Alzheimer's disease had in some cases prolongation of P300 wave in comparison with healthy controls. Patients treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors showed a marked improvement in cognitive functioning, that seen with the Mini Mental State test. In the course of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors treatment in some cases there was a shortening of P300 wave latency. The obtained results allow to hope that finally there is the possibility of supplementing subjective psychological tests for early diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease progression and treatment with new, this time objective kind of electroneurophysiological tests.