Age-Dependent Changes of Short-Latency Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Healthy Adults

Age-dependent changes of short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials following median nerve stimulation in humans were investigated in two groups of healthy adults aged 20–30 and 50–60 years. Normative values for both age groups are given. Compared to the younger group, in the older one P₂₇ latency and N₂₀–P₂₇ interpeak latency were about 2 ms longer, and P₂₇–N₃₅ and P₂₇–P₄₅ interpeak latencies were significantly decreased. These findings suggest that N₂₀ and P₂₇ are generated by different structures and that the subsequent components do not depend on P₂₇.