Introduction: Methylxanthines and doxapram have been widely used for the treatment of apneas of prematurity. Both substances have effects on the central nervous system. While there are data available concerning the use of caffeine (the methylxanthine used at our NICU) even proposing a positive effect on neurodevelopmental outcome of very preterm infants, there are data which suggest a negative effect of the central stimulants doxapram on longterm outcome in this group of infants. Nevertheless concerning both medications only few studies have been published and only scarce data are available concerning the effect of these medications on brain activity of very preterm infants until now.