Age-related changes in auditory event-related potentials.

Twelve elderly and 12 young women were subjects in a reaction-time task designed to elicit middle and late event-related potentials (ERP). The aged subjects differed from the young in respect to the later occurring ERP components: P2 was larger and later; P3 was later and had a different scalp distribution; the slow wave (SW) was smaller. In contrast, no age-related differences were found for N1 amplitude or latency. It is suggested that the diminution in SW amplitude contributes to the change in scalp distribution of P3 amplitude seen with age. The relationship of reaction time and P3 latency of single trials was examined by the adaptive filter technique. There was no difference between the old and young subjects as both groups revealed signficant, positive P3 latency-reaction time correlations.