BRAIN-STEM AUDITORY-EVOKED POTENTIALS - DIFFERENCES RELATED TO PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY

Shorter sensory-motor reaction times have been reported in athletes compared with sedentary subjects. Previous results have shown significantly shorter visual evoked potentials (VEPs) latencies in a group of tennis players, but there was no difference between a group of rowers and control subjects. In the present study, the same groups were investigated in order to establish whether similar differences could be found in relation to brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs). Waves I to V latencies (Ls), interpeak latencies (IPLs) and wave amplitudes were measured. The results showed great differences related to gender. The I-III IPL was shorter in the females than in the males. Differences were also found in relation to physical activity. The most important feature was the significantly shorter III-V LPL observed in the rowers and in the tennis players of both genders compared with sedentary control subjects. In the males these differences were linked to training factors. Therefore, unlike VEPs which seemed to be linked to sports requiring high visual acuity, BAEPs seemed to be linked more widely to top-class physical activity and not to specific sensory aptitude. It was hypothesized that the shorter III-V IPL might be due to shorter synaptic transmission time in the superior olivary complex.