Pearl and pitfalls in brain functional analysis by event-related potentials: a narrative review by the Italian Psychophysiology and Cognitive Neuroscience Society on methodological limits and clinical reliability-part II

Neurol Sci. 2020 Dec;41(12):3503-3515. doi: 10.1007/s10072-020-04527-x. Epub 2020 Jul 18.

Abstract

This review focuses on new and/or less standardized event-related potentials methods, in order to improve their knowledge for future clinical applications. The olfactory event-related potentials (OERPs) assess the olfactory functions in time domain, with potential utility in anosmia and degenerative diseases. The transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) could support the investigation of the intracerebral connections with very high temporal discrimination. Its application in the diagnosis of disorders of consciousness has achieved recent confirmation. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and event-related fields (ERF) could improve spatial accuracy of scalp signals, with potential large application in pre-surgical study of epileptic patients. Although these techniques have methodological limits, such as high inter- and intraindividual variability and high costs, their diffusion among researchers and clinicians is hopeful, pending their standardization.

Keywords: Clinical application; Event-related fields; Event-related potentials; Limits; Magnetoencephalography; Olfactory-evoked potentials; Reliability; TMS-EEG.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain
  • Cognitive Neuroscience*
  • Electroencephalography
  • Evoked Potentials
  • Humans
  • Italy
  • Magnetoencephalography
  • Psychophysiology
  • Reproducibility of Results