Event-related potentials in HIV-infected outpatients.

Event-related potentials (ERP) were determined in 138 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected outpatients and 92 healthy controls of a corresponding age. Of the HIV-infected patients, 31.8% showed an abnormal latency of the P3-component of ERPs (P3-ERP), exceeding the mean value + 2 SD of P3-ERP latencies from age-matched healthy subjects. From the untreated patients in stage Walter Reed (WR) = 6, 71.4% had abnormal P3-ERP latencies, whereas in WR = 2, only 19.6% of P3-ERPs were abnormal. Fourteen patients were observed over a period of 3-16 months. P3-ERP latencies were shortened in 7 patients under treatment with zidovudine. A marked increase in P3-ERP latencies was observed in 7 untreated HIV-infected patients. It is assumed that ERPs are a useful neurophysiological method to detect early cerebral dysfunction in HIV-infected patients.