TY - JOUR
T1 - Left-prefrontal alpha-dynamics predict executive working-memory functioning in elderly people
AU - Meiron, Oded
AU - Ezra Tsur, Elishai
AU - Factor, Hagai
AU - Jacobsen, Shoham
AU - Salomon, David Yoel
AU - Kraizler, Nir
AU - Jaul, Efraim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Recent findings suggest that electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations in the theta and alpha frequency-bands reflect synchronized interregional neuronal activity and are considered to reflect cognitive-control, and executive working memory mechanisms in humans. Above the age of 50 years, hypothesized pronounced alterations in alpha and theta-band power at resting or across different WM-functioning brain states may well be due to pre-dementia cognitive impairments, or increasing severity of age-related neurological disorders. Executive working memory (EWM) functioning was assessed in older-adult participants (54 to 83 years old) by obtaining their WM-related EEG oscillations and WM performance scores. WM performance and WM brain-state EEG were recorded during online-WM periods as well as during specific online WM events within EWM periods, and during resting offline-WM periods that preceded online-WM periods. Left-prefrontal alpha-power was enhanced during offline-WM periods versus online-WM periods and was significantly related to WM accuracy. Left-prefrontal alpha power and left prefrontal-parietal theta power anterior-posterior difference-gradient during online WM activity were related to reaction times (RT’s). Importantly, during active-storage events, WM-offset offline-periods, and preparatory pre-retrieval events, excessive left-prefrontal alpha activity was related to poor EWM performance. The potential for developing targeted noninvasive cognition-enhancing interventions and developing clinical-monitoring EEG-based biomarkers of pathological cognitive-decline in elderly people is discussed.
AB - Recent findings suggest that electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations in the theta and alpha frequency-bands reflect synchronized interregional neuronal activity and are considered to reflect cognitive-control, and executive working memory mechanisms in humans. Above the age of 50 years, hypothesized pronounced alterations in alpha and theta-band power at resting or across different WM-functioning brain states may well be due to pre-dementia cognitive impairments, or increasing severity of age-related neurological disorders. Executive working memory (EWM) functioning was assessed in older-adult participants (54 to 83 years old) by obtaining their WM-related EEG oscillations and WM performance scores. WM performance and WM brain-state EEG were recorded during online-WM periods as well as during specific online WM events within EWM periods, and during resting offline-WM periods that preceded online-WM periods. Left-prefrontal alpha-power was enhanced during offline-WM periods versus online-WM periods and was significantly related to WM accuracy. Left-prefrontal alpha power and left prefrontal-parietal theta power anterior-posterior difference-gradient during online WM activity were related to reaction times (RT’s). Importantly, during active-storage events, WM-offset offline-periods, and preparatory pre-retrieval events, excessive left-prefrontal alpha activity was related to poor EWM performance. The potential for developing targeted noninvasive cognition-enhancing interventions and developing clinical-monitoring EEG-based biomarkers of pathological cognitive-decline in elderly people is discussed.
KW - Alpha anteriorization
KW - Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)
KW - Executive attention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104808447&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17588928.2021.1911977
DO - 10.1080/17588928.2021.1911977
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C2 - 33886412
AN - SCOPUS:85104808447
SN - 1758-8928
JO - Cognitive Neuroscience
JF - Cognitive Neuroscience
ER -