The application of cognitive event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in language-impaired individuals: review and case studies

There is a substantial body of basic research that has utilized ERPs to investigate the neurological basis of cognition. This research has, in turn, led to the development of practical applications of cognitive ERPs in patient populations. In particular, recent work has focused on the development of ERP-based assessment measures for the neuropsychological assessment of dyslexia and language impairments secondary to stroke. This review describes the innovative assessment methods program (IAMP), an initiative to utilize ERPs for a neuropsychological assessment of patients who cannot be evaluated by traditional methods. The success of this program has demonstrated that ERPs can be used to reliably evaluate an individual's reading and speech comprehension abilities, independent of behavioral and speech production impediments. In contrast to traditional neuropsychological assessment, these ERP methods can discern the cognitive strategies used by an individual to perform a task. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.