Thalamic Auditory Center Activity in Healthy Children and Patients with Acute Bacterial Meningitis

• Published in: Human physiology Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 582 - 586
• Main Authors: Voitenkov, V. B., Komantsev, V. N., Ekusheva, E. V., Klimkin, A. V., Bedova, M. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-10-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Auditory pathways; Bacteria; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain stem; Central nervous system; Children; Hearing; Human Physiology; Latency; Life Sciences; Medial geniculate body; Meninges; Meningitis; Statistical analysis; Thalamic nuclei; Thalamus; VI peak; brainstem acoustic evoked potentials; meningitis; thalamus
• ISSN: 0362-1197; 1608-3164
• DOI: 10.1134/S0362119722600187

We provide our data on the VI peak of brainstem acoustic evoked potentials (BAEPs) in healthy children and patients in the acute phase of bacterial meningitis (BM). Our aim was to evaluate the functional activity of the thalamic auditory center in children with severe lesion of the central nervous system (acute bacterial inflammation of its meninges). The study involved 120 children: 88 healthy controls and 32 patients in the acute phase of BM, all were aged 3–5 years old (mean age 3.7 ± 1.2 years). BAEPs were registered according to the guidelines, but special attention was paid towards the existence, latency, and amplitude of its VI peak. Statistical analysis was performed using
t
-criteria (
p
< 0.05) as well as ROC-analysis for determination of the threshold value with optimal value of sensitivity and specificity. The VI peak was not present in 2 children out of 88 healthy controls (2.3%) and in 19 patients with BM (60%). Diffuse lengthening of the I–III and III–V intervals were registered, with III and V peaks amplitudes lowering in children with BM. Average latency of the VI peak in controls and BM group were 7.02 ± 0.27 and 7.82 ± 0.63 ms, accordingly (significant difference,
р
< 0.001); amplitudes were 0.223 ± 0.127 and 0.089 ± 0.057 µV (significant difference,
р
< 0.001). Also, with ROC-analysis, it was established that low amplitude of the VI peak (≤0.09 µV) is associated with a bad outcome of the disease with severe neurologic deficit (sensitivity 90% and specificity 60%). Thus, BAEPs VI peak in healthy children aged 3–5 years was registered in 98% of the cases. In the acute period of BM it was registered only in 40% of the cases. Latency and amplitude of this peak in the BM group is significantly different from the healthy controls of the same age. This may reflect the unspecific slowing of the conduction along the brainstem auditory pathways and functional inhibition of the brain structures, supposedly generating a VI peak, a medial geniculate body and probably some other thalamic nuclei. All these nuclei compose the thalamic auditory center. Also, according to ROC-analysis, it was established that a low amplitude of the VI peak (≤0.09 µV) is associated with a bad outcome of the disease with severe neurologic deficit (sensitivity 90% and specificity 60%).