P300 development across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The P300 component of the event-related potential is a large positive waveform that can be extracted from the ongoing electroencephalogram using a two-stimuli oddball paradigm, and has been associated with cognitive information processing (e.g. memory, attention, executive function). This paper reviews the development of the auditory P300 across the lifespan.

Methodology/principal findings: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the P300 was performed including 75 studies (n = 2,811). Scopus was searched for studies using healthy subjects and that reported means of P300 latency and amplitude measured at Pz and mean age. These findings were validated in an independent, existing cross-sectional dataset including 1,572 participants from ages 6-87. Curve-fitting procedures were applied to obtain a model of P300 development across the lifespan. In both studies logarithmic Gaussian models fitted the latency and amplitude data best. The P300 latency and amplitude follow a maturational path from childhood to adolescence, resulting in a period that marks a plateau, after which degenerative effects begin. We were able to determine ages that mark a maximum (in P300 amplitude) or trough (in P300 latency) segregating maturational from degenerative stages. We found these points of deflection occurred at different ages.

Conclusions/significance: It is hypothesized that latency and amplitude index different aspects of brain maturation. The P300 latency possibly indexes neural speed or brain efficiency. The P300 amplitude might index neural power or cognitive resources, which increase with maturation.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1. Schematic overview of the oddball paradigm and an example of an ERP.

Figure 2. Flowchart depicting the number of exclusions per exclusion rationale in the literature selection.

Figure 3. P300 latency and amplitude trajectories across the lifespan as obtained from the meta-analysis.

Dots represent (subgroups from a) study. Error bars represent SEM.

Figure 4. P300 latency and amplitude trajectories across the lifespan as obtained from the cross-sectional dataset.

Dots represent scores from individual participants.

Figure 5. Graphical summary of the found trajectories in the cross-sectional dataset.

Dots represent the number of errors. Error bars represent SEM.

Figure 6. Trajectory of fractional anisotropy (FA) across the lifespan.

Adapted from Brickman et(2012). Data points were estimated using DigitizeIt 1.6.1 and curve-fitted using Graphpad Prism 6.0.