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Cognitive tasks for evoking the P300 event-related potential in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A scoping review
Agnese Ušacka, Kristı̄ne Šneidere, Zigmunds Freibergs, Ainārs Stepens. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2026-05-25
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Event-related potentials (ERPs), particularly the P300 component, provide a noninvasive, cost-effective approach to probing neural dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, methodological and task-related variability across studies has hindered clinical translation. This scoping review systematically mapped cognitive tasks, stimulus parameters, and EEG acquisition pipelines used to elicit the P300 in AD and MCI and assessed their consistency in revealing group differences in P300 latency and amplitude relative to healthy controls. The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches across PubMed, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect (2015-2025) identified empirical studies that employed EEG-based P300 paradigms to compare AD, MCI, and healthy older adults. Data on participant characteristics, task type, stimulus parameters, ERP outcomes, and EEG processing were extracted. Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Three dominant paradigm groups were identified: auditory and visual oddball, working memory, and selective attention-executive tasks. Across studies, AD most consistently demonstrated prolonged P300 latency - most robustly in auditory oddball paradigms - whereas amplitude reductions were less reliable. In MCI, reduced amplitude was most consistently observed relative to controls under higher cognitive load, while prolonged latency emerged in selected visual oddball and selective attention-executive tasks. Stimulus duration (50-150 ms), moderate target probability (∼20-30%), behavioral response, and sufficient trial counts enhanced sensitivity. Methodological heterogeneity in referencing, filtering, artifact rejection, and component quantification (e.g., peak vs mean amplitude) limited reproducibility. The P300 remains a promising electrophysiological biomarker for early cognitive decline. Latency prolongation might reflect AD-related slowing of processing, while amplitude reduction under cognitive load may capture MCI-related inefficiency of resources. Standardization for task design and EEG processing will be critical for establishing P300 as a clinically useful marker of pre-dementia progression.
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APA 7th
Ušacka, A., Šneidere, K., Freibergs, Z., & Stepens, A. (2026). Cognitive tasks for evoking the P300 event-related potential in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A scoping review. International Journal of Psychophysiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113423
Vancouver
Ušacka A, Šneidere K, Freibergs Z, Stepens A. Cognitive tasks for evoking the P300 event-related potential in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A scoping review. International Journal of Psychophysiology. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113423. PMID: 42191023.
BibTeX
@article{usacka2026-42191023,
author = {Ušacka, Agnese and Šneidere, Kristı̄ne and Freibergs, Zigmunds and Stepens, Ainārs},
title = {{Cognitive tasks for evoking the P300 event-related potential in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A scoping review}},
journal = {International Journal of Psychophysiology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113423},
pmid = {42191023},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113423}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Across studies, AD most consistently demonstrated prolonged P300 latency - most robustly in auditory oddball paradigms - whereas amplitude reductions were less reliable.
Why it matters
This review found that P300 latency is most consistently prolonged in Alzheimer's disease, especially in auditory oddball tasks, while amplitude reductions were less reliable. It does not test any treatment or cure, so it only suggests that EEG-based P300 measures may help distinguish these groups if methods are standardized.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Psychophysiology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | International Journal of Psychophysiology: journal h-index 184 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Ainārs Stepens: h-index 10 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Tartu: institution h-index 761 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42191023) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113423
- PubMed: 42191023
- Original source →
- Free full text: International Journal of Psychophysiology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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