躁うつ病患者(MDI)の視覚性誘発電位(VEP)

The differences between MDI patients and healthy subjects in Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) were studied with 45 MDI subjects (22 males and 23 females) and 60 healthy subjects (30 males and 30 females). VEPs were recorded through the two derivations (2 ch : O1→A1+2, 5 ch : O1→Cz), averaging 100 responses, with 1024 msec of analysis time. Individual VEPs were subjected to the component analysis, and to the statistical assessment. The following results were obtained.
1. The peak latencies of MDI patients were significantly longer in short latency components (mainly P 3, N 3), and interpeak amplitudes significantly larger in short and middle latency components than healthy subjects, but little significant differences in long latency components. These results suggest that MDI patients had some dysfunction in the optic pathway after lateral geniculate body up to the primary visual cortex.
2. Furthermore, between VEPs recorded in manic and depressive states, there were no significant differences in the peak latencies and the interpeak amplitudes. There were little significant differences in VEP between the patients treated regularly with lithium carbonate or carbamazepine and not, and between who had the clinical history more than 2 years and not.
3. These results indicate the single pathophysiological basis underlaying manic-depressive patients, regardless of the contrasting clinical figure between the manic and depressive state.