Decreased Alpha Reactivity from Eyes-Closed to Eyes-Open in Non-Demented Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Combined EEG and [¹⁸F]florbetaben PET Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chae, Soohyun^{a; b} | Park, Jinsick^c | Byun, Min Soo^d | Yi, Dahyun^e | Lee, Jun Ho^f | Byeon, Gi Hwan^b | Suk, Hye Won^g | Choi, Hongyoon^h | Park, Jee Eun^{a; b; *} | Lee, Dong Young^{a; b; e; i}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea | [b] Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea | [c] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea | [d] Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea | [e] Medical Research Center, Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea | [f] Department of Psychiatry, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, South Korea | [g] Department of Psychology, Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea | [h] Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea | [i] Interdisiplinary Program in Cognitive science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Jee Eun Park, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2072 3155; Fax: +82 2 733 7241; E-mail: parkim80@snu.ac.kr.

Abstract: Background:The degree of alpha attenuation from eyes-closed (EC) to eyes-open (EO) has been suggested as a neural marker of cognitive health, and its disruption has been reported in patients with clinically defined Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia. Objective:We tested if EC-to-EO alpha reactivity was related to cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition during the early stage of AD. Methods:Non-demented participants aged ≥55 years who visited the memory clinic between March 2018 and June 2019 (N = 143; 67.8% female; mean age±standard deviation, 74.0±7.6 years) were included in the analyses. Based on the [18F]florbetaben positron emission tomography assessment, the participants were divided into Aβ+ (N = 70) and Aβ- (N = 73) groups. EEG was recorded during the 7 min EC condition followed by a 3 min EO phase, and a Fourier transform spectral analysis was performed. Results:A significant three-way interaction was detected among Aβ positivity, eye condition, and the laterality factor on alpha-band power after adjusting for age, sex, educational years, global cognition, depression, medication use, and white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging (F = 5.987, p = 0.016); EC-to-EO alpha reactivity in the left hemisphere was significantly reduced in Aβ+ subjects without dementia compared with the others (F = 3.984, p = 0.048). Conclusion:Among mild cognitive impairment subjects, alpha reactivity additively contributed to predict cerebral Aβ positivity beyond the clinical predictors, including vascular risks, impaired memory function, and apolipoprotein E ɛ4. These findings support that EC-to-EO alpha reactivity acts as an early biomarker of cerebral Aβ deposition and is a useful measurement for screening early-stage AD.

Keywords: Aged, alpha rhythms, electroencephalography, eyes-closed resting state, eyes-open resting state

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-200442

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 1681-1692, 2020