Scholarlink

<p>Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) provide an objective assessment of brainstem functional integrity. However, their characteristic profiles and clinical significance in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC) remain to be fully elucidated, especially in small, well-characterized cohorts. This is an exploratory study that examines the characteristics of brainstem auditory evoked potential parameters in a small sample of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness and explores how these parameters correlate with the level of consciousness impairment. In this cross-sectional study, 29 patients with pDOC (16 with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome [UWS] and 13 in a minimally conscious state [MCS]) were enrolled. BAEP recordings, neurological assessments using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), and medical record reviews were performed. BAEP parameters (wave latencies, interpeak latencies [IPLs]) were compared between UWS and MCS groups using Mann-Whitney U tests. Effect sizes (r) were calculated to quantify the magnitude of observed differences. Spearman correlation was used to assess the relationship between BAEP parameters and CRS-R scores. No significant differences were observed in the latencies of wave I, wave III, the I–III interpeak interval (IPL), the III–V IPL, or the I–V IPL between the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) group and the minimally conscious state (MCS) group (all <i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). However, the study revealed a trend toward prolongation in the latency of wave V and the I–V IPL in the UWS group (wave V latency: <i>p</i> &gt; 0.05; I–V IPL: <i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). Both wave V latency (<i>r</i> = − 0.342) and I–V IPL (<i>r</i> = − 0.354) demonstrated moderate effect sizes, suggesting the presence of substantive differences in these measures between the two groups. Additionally, a moderate negative correlation was observed between the I–V IPL and the total score of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) (Spearman’s ρ = − 0.447, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Although no significant differences were observed in the brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) parameters between the two patient groups, the trend of prolonged I–V interpeak interval (IPL) in the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) group, along with its moderate correlation with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) score, suggests that UWS patients may have more severe brainstem dysfunction. Therefore, BAEP remains a promising electrophysiological marker for assessing brainstem impairment in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC). Although these preliminary findings did not reach statistical significance in intergroup comparisons, they highlight the need for larger sample sizes in future studies to clarify the role of BAEP in the evaluation of consciousness disorders. If combined with EEG, functional neuroimaging, and other examinations, it would further enhance the accuracy of diagnosis and prognosis.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Analysis of brainstem auditory evoked potential characteristics in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness: a cross-sectional study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

查看全文
  • Dan Wang,
  • Xu Dong,
  • Tao Feng

摘要

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) provide an objective assessment of brainstem functional integrity. However, their characteristic profiles and clinical significance in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC) remain to be fully elucidated, especially in small, well-characterized cohorts. This is an exploratory study that examines the characteristics of brainstem auditory evoked potential parameters in a small sample of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness and explores how these parameters correlate with the level of consciousness impairment. In this cross-sectional study, 29 patients with pDOC (16 with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome [UWS] and 13 in a minimally conscious state [MCS]) were enrolled. BAEP recordings, neurological assessments using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), and medical record reviews were performed. BAEP parameters (wave latencies, interpeak latencies [IPLs]) were compared between UWS and MCS groups using Mann-Whitney U tests. Effect sizes (r) were calculated to quantify the magnitude of observed differences. Spearman correlation was used to assess the relationship between BAEP parameters and CRS-R scores. No significant differences were observed in the latencies of wave I, wave III, the I–III interpeak interval (IPL), the III–V IPL, or the I–V IPL between the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) group and the minimally conscious state (MCS) group (all p > 0.05). However, the study revealed a trend toward prolongation in the latency of wave V and the I–V IPL in the UWS group (wave V latency: p > 0.05; I–V IPL: p > 0.05). Both wave V latency (r = − 0.342) and I–V IPL (r = − 0.354) demonstrated moderate effect sizes, suggesting the presence of substantive differences in these measures between the two groups. Additionally, a moderate negative correlation was observed between the I–V IPL and the total score of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) (Spearman’s ρ = − 0.447, p < 0.001). Although no significant differences were observed in the brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) parameters between the two patient groups, the trend of prolonged I–V interpeak interval (IPL) in the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) group, along with its moderate correlation with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) score, suggests that UWS patients may have more severe brainstem dysfunction. Therefore, BAEP remains a promising electrophysiological marker for assessing brainstem impairment in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC). Although these preliminary findings did not reach statistical significance in intergroup comparisons, they highlight the need for larger sample sizes in future studies to clarify the role of BAEP in the evaluation of consciousness disorders. If combined with EEG, functional neuroimaging, and other examinations, it would further enhance the accuracy of diagnosis and prognosis.