Auditory Event-Related Potentials in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Complaints

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tarawneh, Hadeel Y.^{a; b; *} | Jayakody, Dona M.P.^{b; c} | Verma, Shipra^{d; e} | Doré, Vincent^{f; g} | Xia, Ying^h | Mulders, Wilhelmina H.A.M.^a | Martins, Ralph N.^{i; j} | Sohrabi, Hamid R.^{i; j; k; *}

Affiliations: [a] School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia | [b] Ear Science Institute Australia, Perth, Australia | [c] Ear Science Centre, School of Surgery, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia | [d] Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospital, Perth, Australia | [e] Department of Nuclear Medicine, Fiona Stanley and Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Australia | [f] The Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | [g] Department of Molecular Imaging & Therapy, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | [h] The Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | [i] School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia | [j] Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia | [k] Centre for Healthy Ageing, The Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Hadeel Tarawneh, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. Tel.: +61 8 64570545; E-mail: hadeel.tarawneh@research.uwa.edu.au and Hamid R. Sohrabi, Centre for Healthy Ageing, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch WA 6150, Australia. Tel.: +61 8 9360 6901; E-mail: hamid.sohrabi@murdoch.edu.au.

Abstract: Background:Auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) have been suggested as possible biomarkers for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no study has investigated AERP measures in individuals with subjective memory complaints (SMCs), who have been suggested to be at a pre-clinical stage of AD. Objective:This study investigated whether AERPs in older adults with SMC can be used to objectively identify those at high risk of developing AD. Methods:AERPs were measured in older adults. Presence of SMC was determined using the Memory Assessment Clinics Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Hearing thresholds using pure-tone audiometry, neuropsychological data, levels of amyloid-β burden and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ genotype were also obtained A classic two-tone discrimination (oddball) paradigm was used to elicit AERPs (i.e., P50, N100, P200, N200, and P300). Results:Sixty-two individuals (14 male, mean age 71.9±5.2 years) participated in this study, of which, 43 (11 male, mean age 72.4±5.5 years) were SMC and 19 (3 male, mean age 70.8±4.3 years) were non-SMC (controls). P50 latency was weakly but significantly correlated with MAC-Q scores. In addition, P50 latencies were significantly longer in Aβ+ individuals compared to Aβ– individuals. Conclusion:Results suggest that P50 latencies may be a useful tool to identify individuals at higher risk (i.e., participants with high Aβ burden) of developing measurable cognitive decline. Further longitudinal and cross-sectional studies in a larger cohort on SMC individuals are warranted to determine if AERP measures could be of significance for the detection of pre-clinical AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-β, APOE ɛ4, auditory event-related potentials, cognitive decline, pure-tone audiometry

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-221119

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 92, no. 3, pp. 1093-1109, 2023