Mobility Function and Aperiodic Electrocortical Activity in Younger and Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Mobility decline with aging is a significant concern, with walking speed considered a vital sign.
• Electrocortical activity, particularly electroencephalography (EEG) metrics, may offer insights into age-related mobility changes.
• Aperiodic EEG, a non-oscillatory component of the brain's electrical activity, has shown potential in differentiating various neurological conditions and age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare aperiodic EEG characteristics between healthy younger and older adults during rest and walking.
• To investigate whether oscillatory and aperiodic EEG in sensorimotor regions predict walking speed independently of age and other demographic factors.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of EEG data from 31 younger and 59 older adults at rest and while walking on a treadmill.
• Comparison of aperiodic EEG (exponent and offset) between age groups and conditions.
• Application of machine learning to identify EEG predictors of walking speed, controlling for demographic variables.

Main Results:

• Older adults exhibited lower aperiodic EEG exponent and offset at rest and during walking compared to younger adults.
• Age-related differences in aperiodic EEG were region-specific.
• Sensorimotor alpha power, left sensorimotor aperiodic offset, and left sensorimotor beta power were significant predictors of individual walking speed, even after accounting for demographics.

Conclusions:

• Age-related alterations in aperiodic EEG are regionally specific.
• Both aperiodic and oscillatory EEG patterns in sensorimotor regions are crucial for predicting individual walking speed, offering insights beyond demographic data.