Abstract
During normal aging resting-state brain activity changes and working memory performance declines as compared to young adulthood. Interestingly, previous studies reported that different electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of resting-state brain activity may correlate with working memory performance at different ages. Here, we recorded resting-state EEG activity and tested allocentric spatial working memory in healthy young (20–30 years) and older (65–75 years) adults. We adapted standard EEG methods to record brain activity in mobile participants in a non-shielded environment, in both eyes closed and eyes open conditions. Our study revealed some age-group differences in resting-state brain activity that were consistent with previous results obtained in different recording conditions. We confirmed that age-group differences in resting-state EEG activity depend on the recording conditions and the specific parameters considered. Nevertheless, lower theta-band and alpha-band frequencies and absolute powers, and higher beta-band and gamma-band relative powers were overall observed in healthy older adults, as compared to healthy young adults. In addition, using principal component and regression analyses, we found that the first extracted EEG component, which represented mainly theta, alpha and beta powers, correlated with spatial working memory performance in older adults, but not in young adults. These findings are consistent with the theory that the neurobiological bases of working memory performance may differ between young and older adults. However, individual measures of resting-state EEG activity could not be used as reliable biomarkers to predict individual allocentric spatial working memory performance in young or older adults.
Highlights
Normal aging, in absence of evidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, has been associated with an overall decline in working memory performance (Fabiani, 2012)
Theta relative power was lower in older adults than in young adults (Figure 2D; age groups: F(1,43) = 22.635, p < 0.001, young > older, η2p = 0.169), and this difference appeared more important in the eyes open condition (age groups × eye conditions: F(1,43) = 8.722, p = 0.005, η2p = 0.169; eyes closed: young > older, t(43) = 2.310, p = 0.026, ds = 0.690; eyes open: young > older, t(43) = 5.029, p < 0.001, ds = 1.503)
We found that the relationship between restingstate EEG activity and allocentric spatial working memory performance differed between young and older adults, suggesting the contribution of different functional networks at different ages
Summary
In absence of evidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, has been associated with an overall decline in working memory performance (Fabiani, 2012). Different recording conditions (i.e., eyes closed or eyes open) and different age ranges have been considered (Supplementary Materials 1–4). An experimental re-evaluation of differences in resting-state EEG activity between young and older adults, in which numerous complementary parameters are used to analyze all four major frequency bands in both the eyes open and eyes closed conditions is warranted. Such an analysis may help to provide a coherent framework in which to consider previous results and clarify whether some parameter(s) of resting-state brain dynamics may be associated with age-related differences in spatial working memory performance
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