Background and Purpose. Although acute meningitis and encephalitis are known to cause cognitive dysfunction, the prognostic values of neuropsychological and neurophysiological tests in predicting clinical outcomes are seldom studied. We investigated specific neurocognitive dysfunction and event-related potentials (ERPs), which can predict functional outcomes in patients with acute meningitis and encephalitis. Methods. We enrolled consecutive adult patients with acute meningitis and encephalitis and performed neuropsychological tests and ERP studies using a passive auditory oddball paradigm at enrollment. Patient functional outcomes were assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 6 (GOS6) months after discharge. Results. Twenty-two patients were included in the study. Among 21 patients who performed neuropsychological tests, Korean-Trail Making Test-Elderly's version, Part A time (TMT-A time) correlated with GOS6, which remained significant even after controlling for age. We identified a significant association between TMT-A time and P3a latency. Post-hoc analysis showed that patients with longer TMT-A time (≥23 s) tended to have longer P3a latency than those with shorter TMT-A time. Conclusions. Decreased psychomotor speed predicted poor clinical outcomes. Because TMT-A time can be performed at the bedside in a relatively short time, this might be a useful neuropsychological biomarker to predict or monitor clinical outcomes. Furthermore, passive oddball P3a may be useful in patients with more severe disease who are unable to perform the TMT task.

背景和目的。尽管已知急性脑膜炎和脑炎会导致认知功能障碍，但很少研究神经心理学和神经生理学测试在预测临床结果方面的预后价值。我们调查了特定的神经认知功能障碍和事件相关电位 (ERPs)，它们可以预测急性脑膜炎和脑炎患者的功能结果。方法。我们连续招募了患有急性脑膜炎和脑炎的成年患者，并在招募时使用被动听觉古怪范式进行了神经心理学测试和 ERP 研究。在出院后 6 (GOS6) 个月使用格拉斯哥结果量表评估患者功能结果。结果. 22 名患者被纳入研究。在进行神经心理学测试的 21 名患者中，Korean-Trail Making Test-Elderly 版本的 Part A 时间（TMT-A 时间）与 GOS6 相关，即使在控制年龄后仍显着。我们确定了 TMT-A 时间和 P3a 潜伏期之间的显着关联。事后分析表明，TMT-A 时间较长（≥23 s）的患者往往比 TMT-A 时间较短的患者具有更长的 P3a 潜伏期。结论. 降低的精神运动速度预示着不良的临床结果。因为 TMT-A 时间可以在相对较短的时间内在床边进行，这可能是预测或监测临床结果的有用的神经心理学生物标志物。此外，被动古怪的 P3a 可能对无法执行 TMT 任务的更严重疾病的患者有用。