Brainstem auditory-evoked potentials in progressive myoclonus epilepsy without Lafora bodies.

We studied brainstem auditory-evoked potentials of 11 patients suffering from the Finnish type of progressive myoclonus epilepsy (without Lafora bodies). All patients were ambulatory and had regular antiepileptic medication. The responses of 5 patients were interpreted as totally normal. In 6 cases there were slight deformations of the wave forms or of the amplitudes of the responses. The central conduction time of all patients was within the +/- 2 S.D. limits of the normal values. Postauricular muscular responses were not more prominent in patients than in controls. The results indicate that there is not any significant dysfunction in the cholinergic auditory pathways of the brainstem of these patients.