Brainstem evoked potentials in three groups of prisoners after release from detention camp.

Brainstem evoked potentials (BAEPs) were determined in three groups of male prisoners of war (POWs) released from detention camps and a control group. The first group comprised 21 POWs in whom BAEPs were determined 10-60 days after release (group I). The second group comprised 24 POWs in whom BAEPs were determined 6-9 months after release (group II), and the third group comprised 22 POWs in whom BAEPs were determined 12-18 months after release (group III). The control group comprised 32 subjects. The following changes were found in relation to the control group: in group I significantly longer interpeak latencies (IPLs) P1-P3; in group II significantly longer IPLs P1-P3 and P3-P5; and in group III significantly longer IPLs P1-P3. The subjective symptomatology of the POWs and the results of a routine examination indicate subclinical functional changes of the central nervous system, reflecting the dynamics of these changes. It is suggested that the basis of these changes may be a demyelinization intrathecal process, which occurred as a result of immunological changes during prolonged and intensive post-traumatic stress syndrome.