Polak Thomas, Dresler Thomas, Zeller Julia B M, Warrings Bodo, Scheuerpflug Peter, Fallgatter Andreas J, Deckert Jürgen, Metzger Florian G
Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Wuerzburg, Fuechsleinstrasse 15, 97080, Wuerzburg, Germany,
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2014 Apr;264(3):263-7. doi: 10.1007/s00406-013-0415-2. Epub 2013 Jun 5.
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the degeneration of brainstem nuclei is different from major depression (MD). Thus, vagus somatosensory evoked potentials (VSEP) proposed for the functional assessment of brainstem nuclei should show prolonged latencies in AD but not in MD. In 55 AD patients, 57 MD patients and two age-matched control groups evoked potentials were recorded upon stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. In the AD, not in the MD group, latencies were significantly longer as compared to controls. Thus, the method of VSEP could contribute to the important differential diagnosis of AD and MD in elderly patients.
在阿尔茨海默病（AD）中，脑干核团的退化与重度抑郁症（MD）不同。因此，用于脑干核团功能评估的迷走神经体感诱发电位（VSEP）在AD患者中应显示潜伏期延长，而在MD患者中则不会。对55例AD患者、57例MD患者以及两个年龄匹配的对照组，在刺激迷走神经耳支时记录诱发电位。与对照组相比，AD组而非MD组的潜伏期显著延长。因此，VSEP方法有助于老年患者AD和MD的重要鉴别诊断。
