Psychometrics and Event-Related Potentials in the Diagnosis of Dementia

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Abstract
This study attempted to increase the reliability of predicting the normal latency of the P3 component in elderly adults. It was hypothesized this would allow a more accurate distinction to be made between normal adults (n = 20) and patients with dementia (n = 19) on the basis of observed P3 latencies. Two models for predicting latency were assessed. The first, which used age alone as a predictor, explained 18% of the normal variation in latency and misclassified 40% of the patients. The second model, which incorporated scores on psychometric tests, explained 74% of latency variation and misclassified 20% of the patients. Scores on the similarities subtest of the WAIS and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, however, correctly identified 92% of the patients. This finding casts doubt on the justification of the P3 latency measures to diagnose dementia.