Resting State Cortical Rhythms in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease: Electroencephalographic Evidence

Issue title: Imaging the Alzheimer Brain

Guest editors: J. Wesson Ashford, Allyson Rosen, Maheen Adamson, Peter Bayley, Osama Sabri, Ansgar Furst, Sandra E. Black and Michael Weiner

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Babiloni, Claudio^{a; b; *} | Vecchio, Fabrizio^c | Lizio, Roberta^d | Ferri, Raffaele^e | Rodriguez, Guido^f | Marzano, Nicola^g | Frisoni, Giovanni B.^h | Rossini, Paolo M.^{b; i}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy | [b] Casa di Cura San Raffaele Cassino, Cassino, Italy | [c] A.Fa.R., Dip. Neurosci. Osp. FBF, Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy | [d] IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy | [e] Department of Neurology, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy | [f] Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Endocrinological and Metabolic Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy | [g] IRCCS “SDN”, Naples, Italy | [h] IRCCS “S. Giovanni di Dio-F.B.F.”, Brescia, Italy | [i] Neurology Catholic University “Sacro Cuore” Rome, Rome, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Claudio Babiloni, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 7, Foggia I-71100, Italy. Tel.: +39 0881 713276; Fax:+39 0881 711716; E-mail: c.babiloni@unifg.it.

Abstract: Physiological brain aging is characterized by a combination of synaptic pruning, loss of cortico-cortical connections and neuronal apoptosis that provoke age-dependent decline of cognitive functions. Neural/synaptic redundancy and plastic remodeling of brain networking, also secondary to mental and physical training, promotes maintenance of brain activity in healthy elderly for everyday life and fully productive affective and intellectual capabilities. Unfortunately, in pathological situations, aging triggers neurodegenerative processes that impact on cognition, like Alzheimer's disease (AD). Oscillatory electromagnetic brain activity is a hallmark of neuronal network function in various brain regions. Modern neurophysiological techniques including digital electroencephalography (EEG) allow non-invasive analysis of cortico-cortical connectivity and neuronal synchronization of firing, and coherence of brain rhythmic oscillations at various frequencies. The present review of field EEG literature suggests that discrimination between physiological and pathological brain aging clearly emerges at the group level, with some promising result on the informative value of EEG markers at the individual level. Integrated approaches utilizing neurophysiological techniques together with biological markers and structural and functional imaging are promising for large-scale, low-cost, widely available on the territory and non-invasive screening of at-risk populations.

Keywords: Consciousness, electroencephalography (EEG), persistent vegetative state, Alzheimer's disease

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2011-0051

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 26, no. s3, pp. 201-214, 2011