What Can N100 and ASSR Assess in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness?
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society January 1, 2025 Yuzhen Chen, Hao Li, Qianqian Ge et al. 3 citations
Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), specifically the N100 component and the auditory steady-state response (ASSR), are used to assess patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC), but their relative value is debated. In 30 DOC patients, the ASSR response was a more reliable marker of auditory function than N100. However, neither N100 nor ASSR, at response or microstate levels, could effectively distinguish between patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and those in a minimally conscious state (MCS). The role of ASSR was validated using a portable EEG device in an independent cohort of 30 patients. ASSR shows promise for assessing auditory function in DOC patients, but its utility in differentiating levels of consciousness may require further consideration.