Brainstem auditory evoked potential interwave intervals are prolonged in vitamin B-6-deficient cats

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 123; no. 1; pp. 20 - 26
• Main Authors: BUCKMASTER, P. S, HOLLIDAY, T. A, BAI, S. C, ROGERS, Q. R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD American Society for Nutritional Sciences 1993
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Cats; Disease Models, Animal; Electrodes; Electrophysiology; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem - drug effects; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem - physiology; Hemoglobins - drug effects; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Other nutritional diseases (malnutrition, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies...); Oxalates - urine; Pyridoxine - pharmacology; Vitamin B 6 Deficiency - physiopathology; Fissipedia; Carnivora; Pathophysiology; Brain stem; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Vitamin deficiency; B-Vitamins; Pyridoxine; Postnatal development; Young animal; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Auditory evoked potential; Cat; Auditory pathway; Malnutrition; Nutritional status; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100

Vitamin B-6 deficiency has been reported to produce behavioral, neurophysiological and neuropathological abnormalities in a variety of species. In this investigation we used brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) to determine if vitamin B-6 deficiency in cats affected peripheral and brainstem auditory pathways. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials were recorded from growing cats as they developed vitamin B-6 deficiency, which was confirmed using clinical, hematological and urinary criteria. The BAEP interwave intervals measured from early (wave 1 or 1N) to late waves (5N) or from middle (wave 3) to late waves increased significantly, whereas interwave intervals from early to middle waves did not differ significantly. These results indicate that vitamin B-6 deficiency affects one or more structures of the brainstem that generate the later parts of the BAEP. The finding of prolonged interwave intervals in vitamin B-6-deficient animals is consistent with slowed axonal conduction velocity secondary to defective myelination. Recording BAEP provided a noninvasive means of detecting effects of vitamin B-6 deficiency on specific parts of the central nervous system.