# ASSESSMENT OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE WITH P300

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 1992 · $124,495

## Abstract

Because the P3 (P300) event-related brain potential (ERP) indexes the
information processing events associated with memory function, attempts
have been made to use the P3 as a measure of the cognitive changes found
in Alzheimer's disease and other dementing illnesses.  However, the
clinical utility of the P3 as a diagnostic tool for neurological
disorders has been hampered by the variability observed for its amplitude
and latency in normal subjects.  Recent findings suggest that this
variability stems in part from a number of biological and psychological
variables (body temperature, recency of food consumption, and cognitive
ability) which have not been controlled since little was known about the
effects of such factors on the ERP.  Because previous studies may have
been confounded by these extraneous variables, the present proposal seeks
to re-evaluate the utility of the P3 as a non-invasive measure of
cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease.  The proposed studies have
been designed so that they will: (1) facilitate the development of the P3
as a clinical measure of mental function by assessing Alzheimer patients
in the early stages of the disease and normal elderly controls with ERP
procedures designed to tap specific cognitive functions, and (2) permit a
systematic determination of how effective the P3 component can be as an
index for the mental decline found Alzheimer's disease.  These procedures
should enhance the sensitivity of ERPs as measures of the cognitive
deterioration observed in Alzheimer's disease through the use of focused
paradigms and experimental control of factors now known to affect P3
measures.  Thus, the results will provide a much needed data base that
will guide accurately the development of ERPs as a diagnostic and
prognostic tool for the assessment of Alzheimer's disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3122513
- **Project number:** 7R01AG010604-02
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** PHZJFZ32NKH4
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN M POLICH
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $124,495
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 1991-09-01 → 1996-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3122513

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3122513, ASSESSMENT OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE WITH P300 (7R01AG010604-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3122513. Licensed CC0.

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