Resting-state EEG dual biomarker for motor-cognitive function in elderly individuals

Aging is often accompanied by declines in both motor and cognitive functions, yet neurophysiological biomarkers that jointly reflect these changes remain poorly understood. Previous electroencephalography (EEG) studies have largely focused on either motor or cognitive impairment separately, limiting insights into their combined neural underpinnings. To address this gap, we examined spectral and spatial EEG features associated with both motor and cognitive function in elderly individuals during eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-states. Using power spectral density metrics across canonical frequency bands and rank-based analyses controlling for age and sex, we identified significant motor × cognition interactions, predominantly in the beta band. Post-hoc and partial correlation analyses revealed that beta activity was positively associated with motor performance but negatively with cognitive performance after covariate adjustment. These findings suggest that beta oscillations capture overlapping motor-cognitive alterations in aging and may serve as potential electrophysiological biomarkers for early detection and intervention.