Sleep abnormalities and evoked potentials (VEP-BAER-SEP) in progressive supranuclear palsy

Few physiological studies have been performed in PSP. We studied: sleep abnormalities in 36 h polygraphic recordings; changes of PEV after pattern-reversal stimulation, of BAER and of short latency SEP after stimulation of the median nerve. The population was for the 1st group: 18 patients with full typical symptomatology, for the 2nd group: 7 patients with likely diagnose of PSP and for the 3rd group: 10 normal subjects as control sample. All patients of the 1st group had sleep abnormalities: decrease of total sleep time; decrease of the percentage of REM sleep; morphological abnormalities (specially horizontal ocular square wave jerks). Detail is given of the repartition of such abnormalities in the two groups of patients. There is no correlation between sleep abnormalities and the natural history of the disease. The PEV and BAER, abnormalities were present in 50% of the cases. The PES were always normal. The help that can be provided by electrophysiological studies in the diagnose of PSP is discussed (particularly in group 2).