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. 1999 Oct;4(3):103–110. doi: 10.1007/BF02932264

P300 as a measure of cognitive dysfunction from occupational and environmental insults

Jing-Bo Pan 1,✉, Tatsuya Takeshita 1,✉, Kanehisa Morimoto 1,✉
PMCID: PMC2723518  PMID: 21432181

Abstract

The P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) is a sensitive, non-invasive, and convenient measure of cognitive dysfunction resulting from a variety of etiological agents. Application-orientated research on using the P300 measure as a cognitive probe for a wide range of neurological and psychiatric situations has been expanding rapidly in the last decade.

The aim of this paper is to preview issues of application-oriented P300 research in occupational and environment medicine. Firstly, the neurophysiological background of the P300 is outlined. Secondly, the recent findings of P300 abnormalities following various occupational and environmental exposures are overviewed. Thirdly, the empirical issues for application-oriented research such as the potential causes of variability, limitation and difficulty are summarized, with suggestion for controlling them and for future standardization. Finally, it is concluded that P300 assessments demonstrate promising possibility as a sensitive marker for general cognitive dysfunction in occupational and environmental medicine.

Keywords: cognitive dysfunction, event-related potential (ERP), neurotoxicology, occupational and environmental exposure, P300

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