No Effect of Chronic Fenfluramine on the P300 Component of the Event-Related Potential

Abstract

Five autistic children were administered a visual version of the oddball paradigm under both drug (chronic fenfluramine) and placebo conditions. The P300 component of the event-related potential (ERP) was not affected by fenfluramine, although the drug significantly lowered blood concentrations of serotonin. It was concluded that serotonin as a neurotransmitter does not play a major role in production of P300. This conclusion fits with the facts that: (1) the general functional role of serotonin in the nervous system is to globally inhibit the overt expression of behavior, and (2) P300 is generally insensitive to response selection processes.

Key Words:

• event-related potential
• P300
• fenfluramine
• autism
• serotonin