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The relation of SMI and the VSEP in a risk sample for neurodegenerative disorders

  • Psychiatry and Preclinical Psychiatric Studies - Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Neural Transmission Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Vagus somatosensory evoked potentials (VSEP) have been shown to have higher latencies with aging, which are even more increased in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and subjects with mild cognitive impairment compared to age-matched healthy controls. In this study, the association of VSEP with subjective memory impairment (SMI), a potential risk or prodromal marker for Alzheimer’s disease, was examined. The association of VSEP latencies and SMI was studied in a healthy risk cohort, including 358 elderly subjects, who are in a longitudinal study of risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders. The results show increased VSEP latencies for peak P2 at Fz–F4 in subjects who report SMI and are worried about it as compared to subjects who report memory impairment, but are not concerned and subjects without complaints. The results support a potential role of VSEP for the detection of very early neurodegenerative processes which may precede Alzheimer’s disease.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Alzheimer’s disease

ApoE4:

Apolipoprotein E4

BDI:

Beck’s depression inventory

CAMDEX:

Cambridge examination for mental disorders of the elderly

CERAD:

Consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer’s disease

EEG:

Electroencephalography

GDS:

Geriatric depression scale

Hz:

Hertz

kHz:

Kilohertz

mA:

Milliampere

ms:

Milliseconds

MDI:

Major depression inventory

MMST:

Mini-mental status examination

N1:

Negativum 1

P1/P2:

Positivum 1/positivum 2

PD:

Parkinson’s disease

SMI:

Subjective memory impairment

TREND study:

Tuebinger evaluation of risk factors for the early detection of NeuroDegeneration

VSEP:

Vagus somatosensory evoked potentials

µV:

Microvolt

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their thanks to the TREND study team for their support with the measurements and especially to Ramona Taeglich also for her valued technical assistance. Moreover, the authors thank the participants for their participation in the TREND study. Furthermore, the authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of all members of the TREND study consortium participating form March 2011 to April 2012.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tuebingen, Germany

    Katja Hagen, Walter Maetzler & Daniela Berg

  2. Psychophysiology and Optical Imaging, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany

    Katja Hagen, Ann-Christine Ehlis, Florian B. Haeussinger, Stefan Beeretz, Gina V. Kromer, Gerhard W. Eschweiler, Andreas J. Fallgatter & Florian G. Metzger

  3. Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences, Tuebingen, Germany

    Katja Hagen

  4. Graduate School of Neural Information Processing, Tuebingen, Germany

    Florian B. Haeussinger

  5. Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute of Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen, Germany

    Sebastian Heinzel, Walter Maetzler & Daniela Berg

  6. Center of Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Cluster of Excellence, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany

    Daniela Berg & Andreas J. Fallgatter

Authors
  1. Katja Hagen
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  2. Ann-Christine Ehlis
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  3. Florian B. Haeussinger
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  4. Stefan Beeretz
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  5. Gina V. Kromer
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  6. Sebastian Heinzel
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  7. Walter Maetzler
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  8. Gerhard W. Eschweiler
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  9. Daniela Berg
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  10. Andreas J. Fallgatter
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  11. Florian G. Metzger
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The TREND Study Consortium

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Correspondence to Katja Hagen.

Additional information

This study is part of the dissertation of Katja Hagen.

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Hagen, K., Ehlis, AC., Haeussinger, F.B. et al. The relation of SMI and the VSEP in a risk sample for neurodegenerative disorders. J Neural Transm 122, 1167–1174 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-014-1351-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-014-1351-7

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