P300 in Early Cognitive Impairment in Hepatitis C Virus

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Approximately 50% of patients with hepatitis C have complaints of fatigue and cognitive deficits even before the development of significant hepatic impairment.

Detailed Description
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Assessing the influence of HCV infection on the development of cognitive changes involves many challenges. The frequent presence of confounding factors such as illicit drug use, depression, and cirrhosis has the potential to produce cognitive impairment and therefore obscuring the role of HCV infection as a major actor in the development of cognitive impairment. The presence of brain dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis is well known. Zeegen et al. described in 1970, through the use of neuropsychological tests, the occurrence of cognitive changes involving mainly psychomotor speed, attention, and executive function in cirrhotics who did not have clinical criteria for hepatic encephalopathy. This condition is currently called minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Official Title
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Predictive Value of P300 Event-related Potential Component in Early Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Uncomplicated Newly Diagnosed Hepatitis C Virus

Conditions
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Hepatitis C, Cognitive Impairment

Intervention / Treatment
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* Diagnostic Test: Visual Event-Related Potentials


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Newly diagnosed HCV infection Exclusion Criteria: Any neuropsychiatric disease that cause impaired cognition
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| HCV patients<br>Patients with uncomplicated newly diagnosed hepatitis C virus | Diagnostic Test: Visual Event-Related Potentials<br>* Auditory P300-evoked brain potential: an eventrelated potential of cognitive neurophysiological significance. It represents the brain response to certain sensory/cognitive stimuli by paying attention to the different stimulus among the stereotypical ones (the auditory oddball paradigm). It measures mainly the decision-making process (Polich and Kok, 1995).<br>|
| Control group<br>Age and sex matched with patients | Diagnostic Test: Visual Event-Related Potentials<br>* Auditory P300-evoked brain potential: an eventrelated potential of cognitive neurophysiological significance. It represents the brain response to certain sensory/cognitive stimuli by paying attention to the different stimulus among the stereotypical ones (the auditory oddball paradigm). It measures mainly the decision-making process (Polich and Kok, 1995).<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Auditory P300-evoked brain potential | Auditory P300-evoked brain potential: an eventrelated potential of cognitive neurophysiological significance. It represents the brain response to certain sensory/cognitive stimuli by paying attention to the different stimulus among the stereotypical ones (the auditory oddball paradigm). It measures mainly the decision-making process (Polich and Kok, 1995). | 24-72 hours | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Hepatitis C, Cognitive Impairment