Age effects on EEG correlates of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Abstract

Body and brain undergo several changes with aging. One of the domains in which these changes are more remarkable relates with cognitive performance. In the present work, electroencephalogram (EEG) markers (power spectral density and spectral coherence) of age-related cognitive decline were sought whilst the subjects performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Considering the expected age-related cognitive deficits, WCST was applied to young, mid-age and elderly participants, and the theta and alpha frequency bands were analyzed. From the results herein presented, higher theta and alpha power were found to be associated with a good performance in the WCST of younger subjects. Additionally, higher theta and alpha coherence were also associated with good performance and were shown to decline with age and a decrease in alpha peak frequency seems to be associated with aging. Additionally, inter-hemispheric long-range coherences and parietal theta power were identified as age-independent EEG correlates of cognitive performance. In summary, these data reveals age-dependent as well as age-independent EEG correlates of cognitive performance that contribute to the understanding of brain aging and related cognitive deficits.

Effects of Age and Acute Moderate Alcohol Administration on Electrophysiological Correlates of Working Memory Maintenance

“…These data provide important evidence of older adults' increased susceptibility to the neurobehavioral effects of acute moderate alcohol consumption as reflected by the electrophysiological correlates of working memory function. Consistent with previous literature (e.g., Dias et al., ), older adults exhibited roughly half the PAP of younger adults during task performance. Furthermore, the apparent lack of main and interactive effects of task condition was consistent with analyses of behavioral data in our previous report, which indicated isolated effects on working memory efficiency (Boissoneault et al., ).…”

“…Analysis of EEG spectral power (which reflects complex interactions of neuronal networks; Buzsaki and Draguhn, ) during working memory maintenance represents an intriguing vantage point for the examination of older adults' potentially greater susceptibility to acute moderate alcohol effects. The current investigation focused specifically on frontal theta power (FTP; 4 to 7 Hz) and posterior alpha power (PAP; 8 to 12 Hz) because these combinations of region and frequency band have been previously demonstrated to be sensitive to task demands (Dias et al., ; McEvoy et al., ; Wang et al., ), older age (Dias et al., ; McEvoy et al., ), and acute alcohol use (Boha et al., ; Ehlers et al., , ). Both older age and acute alcohol use are associated with attenuated increases in FTP during task performance (Boha et al., ; Dias et al., ; Kovacevic et al., ; Marinkovic et al., ; McEvoy et al., ).…”

“…The current investigation focused specifically on frontal theta power (FTP; 4 to 7 Hz) and posterior alpha power (PAP; 8 to 12 Hz) because these combinations of region and frequency band have been previously demonstrated to be sensitive to task demands (Dias et al., ; McEvoy et al., ; Wang et al., ), older age (Dias et al., ; McEvoy et al., ), and acute alcohol use (Boha et al., ; Ehlers et al., , ). Both older age and acute alcohol use are associated with attenuated increases in FTP during task performance (Boha et al., ; Dias et al., ; Kovacevic et al., ; Marinkovic et al., ; McEvoy et al., ). Because FTP has been positively correlated with cognitive performance (Gevins et al., ; Sederberg et al., ), it has been hypothesized that FTP shifts reflect allocation of resources associated with efficient performance.…”

“…Age may affect alpha‐band power during cognitive performance; a study by Dias et al. () indicated “middle‐aged” (mean age ~56) and “older” adults had significantly lower alpha power than younger adults (mean age ~24) both at baseline and during task performance, suggesting less efficient inhibitory control in these groups. In addition, acute alcohol intake (~0.07 to 0.08 g/dl) has been documented to affect alpha power during wakeful rest (Ehlers et al., ) and phase locking of alpha‐band event‐related oscillations during an auditory oddball task (Ehlers et al., ) in healthy young men.…”

Estudio electrofisiológico de los niveles de activación cerebral y conectividad funcional, potenciados mediante la técnica de neurofeedback durante una tarea atencional

“…Este hecho se correlacionó con una menor actividad θ, también α, en frontal, sustituida en gran medida por una actividad oscilatoria dentro de la banda β, lo cual podría considerarse un reflejo de la activación de mecanismos atencionales tipo topdown (Lithfous et al, 2015). Potencias más altas de las bandas θ y α se han relacionado positivamente en jóvenes con puntuaciones positivas en test de memoria de trabajo, así como la coherencia fronto-parietal dentro de estas frecuencias, la cual está disminuida en personas mayores (Dias et al, 2015). En otros estudios con test cognitivos similares los mejores resultados se asociaron con menor valor de potencia relativa y absoluta de las bandas δ y θ y un valor alto de la potencia de la banda α (Roca-Stappung et al, 2012).…”