Description
Changes in brain signals occur during the transition from normal ageing to Alzheimer’s disease dementia (ADD). The early stages are accompanied by increased brain synchronisation and connectivity followed by reduced neural responses. I will present a series of studies to explore whether EEG markers can indicate transition points in the disease continuum. Study 1 involved healthy younger and older participants assessed with EEG and a memory marker for AD. Older adults showed over-recruitment associated with levels of performance like those seen in younger adults. Study 2 used MRI during an incidental emotional memory and showed that while behaviourally Mild Cognitive Impairment patients and healthy controls performed alike, MCI patients’ hippocampal recruitment exceeded that of controls. Study 3 involved a sample of mutation carriers linked to familial AD (E280A-PSEN1) in different stages of the disease continuum who were assessed with memory markers, EEG, and MRI-DTI. Increased task-related EEG connectivity achieved 89% classification accuracy, and the DTI showed white-matter integrity dissociations across memory functions known to markers of AD. Finally, Study 4 recruited a sample of community-dwelling older adults with and without MCI who underwent EEG and memory assessment. It revealed a pattern of hyper and hypo-synchronization, which did not grant compensatory protection. A switch from increased to decreased neural recruitment/responsiveness seems to be associated with compensatory and non-compensatory behavioural outcomes in the transition from normal ageing to ADD. Several questions remain, which will be discussed in this talk.| Period | 5 Jun 2024 → 6 Jun 2024 |
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| Held at | University of Glasgow , United Kingdom |
| Degree of Recognition | National |