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VISUALLY EVOKED POTENTIALS IN PATIENTS WITH BRAIN LESIONS WITH OR WITHOUT DISTURBANCES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Author(s) -
Bergström Lea,
Nyström Stic H. M.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1970.tb05813.x
Subject(s) - coma (optics) , electroencephalography , scalp , consciousness , evoked potential , psychology , neuroscience , brain activity and meditation , audiology , rhythm , medicine , brain damage , anesthesia , anatomy , physics , optics
A study was made on the behaviour of the visually evoked potentials and rhythmic after activity in 32 patients with brain lesions of various kinds. Sixteen of them were fully conscious and sixteen in a state of coma. Eleven normal subjects served as a control series. Evoked potentials were recorded using scalp electrodes in the occipital regions and averaged with a standard San‐ei computer. The background EEG activity was recorded simultaneously. One group consisted of fully conscious patients with organic brain lesions; the other group of patients in severe coma also having organic brain lesions. In both groups either alterations or abolition of evoked responses and rhythmic after activity were found, but no striking differences could be observed between the two groups. Thus the results indicate that the mechanisms underlying changes in visually evoked potentials are not identical with those causing alterations in the level of consciousness. On the other hand, various organic brain lesions may cause alterations in visually evoked potentials without disturbing consciousness.