Abstract

Background/Purpose: Slowing of average electroencephalography (EEG) frequency in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is well established, but whether EEG changes are able to reflect the severity of AD is uncertain. We attempt to establish quantitative EEG parameters that are suitable for evaluating AD in clinical practice. Methods: Ninety-five patients with newly diagnosed AD at different stages from four neurologic institutes were enrolled for the study. Standard scalp resting EEG data were collected for quantitative analysis. Global band power ratio and interhemispheric alpha band coherence were calculated. Results: Patients with advanced AD had a greater slow-to-fast wave power ratio. Among several power ratio parameters, global theta and delta to alpha and beta band power ratio showed the best correlation with stages of AD (p <0.05 between any two patient groups). Patients with advanced AD had decreased coherence in multiple brain regions. The phenomenon was most prominent in the centroparietal region (p <0.05 between any two patient groups). Conclusion: Increased global slow-to-fast power ratio and decreased centroparietal interhemispheric alpha band coherence are strongly correlated with disease progress in AD patients. These two quantitative EEG parameters may help evaluate AD patients in daily clinical practice. Global power ratio changes may suggest a shift of dominant frequency, and decreased interhemispheric alpha band coherence may suggest functional disconnection and corpus callosum abnormalities in AD patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)729-735
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume114
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 1 2015

Keywords

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Coherence
  • Dementia
  • Spectral analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine(all)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Frequency power and coherence of electroencephalography are correlated with the severity of Alzheimer's disease: A multicenter analysis in Taiwan'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this