Comparative study of electroencephalography changes in dementia

Abstract

Background: Dementia affected about 46 million people in 2015and this number will roughly triple within the next 40 years. In 2011 Alzheimer's Disease International argue that dementia has become one of the most urgent health and social care challenges of the 21st century and its potential effect on economies around the world is attracting global attention. Predicting dementia in the early stages would be essential for better treatment before significant brain damage occurs. Current difficulty is the lack of specific biomarkers. In some previous studies electroencephalography (EEG) have shown the capability to identify dementia early and even classify the degree of its severity at a lower cost for mass screening. The aim and objective of this study was to EEG changes in vascular dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRD) or dementia where no cause is identifiable, to measure severity of dementia by using DSR scale in different subjects and to correlate DSRS with EEG findings.Methods: Study sample was the 40 patients in each three groups- Dementia patients without any known cause of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRD), Vascular dementia (VaD) patients and Controls (age and sex matched subjects scoring more than the cut of score on dementia Scale). Written informed consent will be taken after explaining the objectives and procedure of study in detail. EEG were recorded in eyes closed, on intermittent photic stimulation and hyperventilation, only eyes closed data was used in study and these data were entered in excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS Software, appropriate statistical test was applied wherever necessary.Results: Participants with VaD have theta waves while ADRD group have delta waves preponderance as compare to control.Conclusions: EEG can have additive value in diagnosing VaD as well as it alone can be helpful in differentiating healthy individuals from dementia patients.