A Comparative study of P300 and Cognitive ability in Adolescents with and without significant perinatal history

Abstract

Background: The P300 component of the event-related potential (ERP) is a well-established neurophysiological variable of cognitive processing, reflecting attention allocation, stimulus evaluation, and working memory updating. Perinatal complications may adversely affect neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning during adolescence. Objective: To evaluate P300 and cognitive ability index in adolescents with and without significant perinatal history. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents aged 10–19 years to examine the relationship between cognitive ability and auditory P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) in individuals with and without a significant perinatal history. Participants were categorized into two groups based on documented perinatal factors such as prematurity, low birth weight, birth asphyxia, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, or other neonatal complications. Cognitive ability was evaluated using a standardized cognitive assessment scale. Auditory P300 responses were recorded using the auditory oddball paradigm wherein P300 latency was measured and analyzed in relation to cognitive ability scores. Results: Adolescents with a significant perinatal history showed longer P300 latency than those without such a history. Cognitive ability assessment revealed reduced cognitive functioning. Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was found between P300 latency and cognitive ability scores, suggesting that longer neural processing times were associated with lower cognitive performance value. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that P300 latency is associated with cognitive ability suggesting alterations in neural information processing and cognitive performance during adolescence. Early identification of these neurocognitive changes may help in developing timely interventions to improve long-term outcomes.