Resting-state EEG Characteristics in Autopsy-confirmed Cohorts of Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer’s Disease
Shannon Chiu1, Jinhan Park3, Nan Zhang2, Sotiris Mitropanopoulos1, John Caviness1, Christopher Harris1, Charles Adler1, Holly Shill4, Shyamal Mehta1, Erika Driver-Dunckley1, Parichita Choudhury5, Cecilia Tremblay6, Christine Belden7, Geidy Serrano6, Thomas Beach6, Alireza Atri5, David Vaillancourt3, Stephen Coombes3
1Neurology, 2Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic Arizona, 3Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, 4Neurology, Barrow Neurology Clinics, 5Neurology, 6Neuropathology, 7Neuropsychology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute
Objective:
To compare quantitative resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) in pathologically confirmed cohorts of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
Background:
Posterior slowing on rsEEG is a supportive biomarker in DLB. EEG shows promise for distinguishing dementia subtypes but lacks validation in autopsy confirmed cases.
Design/Methods:
We identified pathologically diagnosed DLB cases from the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders (AZSAND), with baseline antemortem rsEEG (1 min each with eyes open and closed conditions). We included data from AD (n=44) and non-demented controls (n=50), who were age- and sex-matched to the DLB group (n=27). We compared dominant frequency, aperiodic components, and alpha reactivity after accounting for aperiodic components from occipital electrodes (O1, Oz, O2).
Results:
There was no group difference in baseline age, sex, age at death, or time from EEG to death. Baseline Mini-Mental State Exam scores were lowest in DLB (24.7±7.1), followed by AD (26.1±5.0) and controls (28.7±1.5) (p<0.005). Most DLB individuals had Unified Staging System for Lewy Body Disorders stage IV (n=20, 74%). Mean Braak stage was lower in DLB (4.3±0.7) compared to AD (4.8±0.8) (p<0.001). Dominant frequency was significantly slower (p<0.001) in DLB (8.03 Hz ±1.30), compared to AD (8.75 Hz ±1.08) and controls (9.26 Hz ±1.22). Aperiodic components differed (p<0.001), with DLB exhibiting a significantly steeper slope (1.38±0.49), compared to AD (1.15±0.38) and controls (0.97±0.36). Alpha reactivity was significantly reduced (p<0.01) in DLB (0.34±0.34), compared to AD (0.55±0.28) and controls (0.55±0.30), after controlling for aperiodic components.
Conclusions:
rsEEG dominant frequency was significantly slower in DLB, consistent with prior studies. Few have characterized aperiodic and oscillatory EEG abnormalities in DLB. We identified distinct aperiodic activity (steeper slope) and a novel reduction in alpha reactivity after controlling for aperiodic components in pathologically confirmed DLB, compared to AD and controls. Longitudinal studies are needed to further validate rsEEG in DLB.
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