The effect of wavelength on the variability of the flash visual evoked potential P2: A potential biomarker for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia

Abstract

As the number of individuals diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD) increases, a need exists for early detection and treatment of the disorders. A recent review of the literature conducted by Arruda et al. (2020) revealed that the latency of the flash visual-evoked potential-P2 (FVEP-P2) may possess pathognomic information that may assist in the early detection and treatment of each disease. Unfortunately, while group differences in latency are robust, the ability to discriminate between individuals remains difficult due to the natural variability associated with the FVEP-P2 latency. In the current investigation, we examine the role of wavelength of light in the production of the FVEP-P2, with the goal of reducing the variability associated with the FVEP-P2 latency and improving the diagnostic accuracy of the FVEP-P2 evaluation.

Method: Twenty-four healthy individuals (11 males and 13 females), ages 18 to 36 years (M = 25.00, SD = 5.60), participated in this investigation. Each participant experienced five blocks of 100 strobe flashes (or trials) under two different light conditions (blue filtered light and polychromatic white light) with their eyes closed. The FVEP-P2 associated with each trial was identified and the latency and amplitude of each component was calculated.

Result: The results of several repeated measures analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences in intra- and inter-individual variability associated with the P2 latency or amplitude. However, there was a significant difference in the amplitude of the P2 produced by the two lights, with blue filtered light producing significantly lower amplitudes than the polychromatic white light.

Conclusion: The results of the present investigation suggest that while imperfect, the current practice of employing polychromatic white light in the production of the FVEP-P2 remains the gold standard and that additional methods of reducing the natural variability of the P2 need to be developed if the FVEP-P2 latency is to be used as a biomarker.

Keywords: Alzheimer's dementia; FVEP-P2; Luminance; Mild cognitive impairment; Variability; Visual evoked potential; Wavelength.