BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine the cognitive functions of children with subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) and healthy children with the use of auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) and neuropsychological tests.MethodsTwenty children aged between 8 and 17 years, diagnosed with SH, and 20 age-matched healthy controls were included in this study. A classical auditory oddball paradigm was applied during the electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were evaluated between the 0.5- and 20-Hz frequency intervals. P1, N1, P2, N2 and P3 amplitudes and latencies were measured in Fz, FCz, Cz, CPz, Pz and Oz electrodes. Additionally, a number of neuropsychological tests evaluating the reaction time and various cognitive functions were carried out.ResultsIn children with SH, P3 amplitudes in FCz, Cz and CPz electrodes were significantly lower than those in controls (p ConclusionsIn the present study, while children with SH did not differ from controls with respect to their cognitive functions evaluated via neuropsychological tests, cognitive differences were detected via electrophysiological investigations. This result implies that implicit changes in cognition which are not yet overtly reflected on neuropsychological tests may be detected at an early stage in children with SH.