Relationships between contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitude, regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), mini mental status examination score (MMSE) and reaction time (RT) have been studied in young subjects, non-demented old subjects and patients with primary degenerative senile dementia. Significant correlations have been found between CNV amplitude and global CBF, MMSE score and reaction time. Factorial analysis has shown 3 factors weighted respectively by MMSE and CNV, antero-posterior ratio fort left hemispheric CBF and age, and antero-posterior ratio for right hemispheric CBF and reaction time. Discriminant analysis has shown 2 discriminant functions differentiating young from old subjects with 90% accuracy and demented from non-demented patients with 75% accuracy.