Age-related Deterioration of Alpha Power in Cortical Areas Slowing Motor Command Formation in Healthy Elderly Subjects.

Abstract

The same neural processes may govern older people's motor and cognitive abilities since an inability to switch between actions develops with aging. In this study, a dexterity test was used to measure motor and cognitive perseverance, which required participants to move their fingers fast and correctly on hole boards. An electroencephalography (EEG) recording was used to evaluate how healthy young and older adults process brain signals when performing the test. A significant difference was found between the young and older groups in the average time taken to complete the test, with the older group taking 87.4 s and the young group taking 55.21 s. During motor movement, young participants showed alpha desynchronization over the cortex (Fz, Cz, Oz, Pz, T5, T6, P3, P4) in comparison to the resting state. However, compared to the younger group, no alpha desynchronization was found in the aging group during motor performance. It was noteworthy that alpha power (Pz, P3, and P4) in the parietal cortex was significantly lower in older compared to young adults. Age-related slowdown in motor performance may be caused by deteriorating alpha activity in the parietal cortex, which functions as a sensorimotor interface. This study provides new insights into how perception and action are distributed between brain regions.