The role of P300 in the recovery of post-stroke global aphasia.

Seventeen right-handed patients suffering from global aphasia caused by a recent
stroke in the left-hemisphere were studied. Passive P300 auditory event related
potential paradigm was applied every months for 6 months. Aachen subtests were
used for evaluating comprehension. Only a minority of the patients displayed the P300
at the baseline. Those patients had the best outcome at the Aachen comprehension
subtest. Latency and amplitude changed over time in an unpredictable way. The
number of patients presenting with the P300 also fluctuated, since some patients could
regain the potential, whereas some other patients could lose that from month to
month. Passive P300 is a monitor of recovery following global aphasia. A single
passive P300 recording is useful for prognostic purposes. Repairing mechanisms in the
first 6 months have a non-linear trend.