Electroencephalogram alpha asymmetry in geriatric depression : Valid or vanished?

Area of Science:

• Geriatric psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Electroencephalography (EEG)

Background:

• Established correlation between electroencephalograph (EEG) asymmetry and depression.
• Limited research on EEG asymmetry in the oldest old geriatric population.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate frontal and parietal alpha asymmetry for differentiating depression in 80-year-old patients.
• Investigate EEG asymmetry in geriatric depression and anxiety.

Main Methods:

• Assessed 39 right-handed female geriatric patients (mean age 80) using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
• Analyzed frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and parietal alpha asymmetry (PAA) across three alpha bands (alpha1, alpha2, alpha3).
• Correlated asymmetry measures with Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Main Results:

• Frontal and parietal alpha asymmetry did not differentiate between depressed, anxious, and control groups.
• Significant correlations observed between PAA in the alpha3 band and anxiety/depression scores.

Conclusions:

• EEG alpha asymmetry may diminish with advanced age.
• PAA shows a correlation with anxiety and depression in the oldest old.
• Findings align with the right hemisphere hemi-aging hypothesis.