Age-related differences in how the shape of alpha and beta oscillations change during reaction time tasks

• Published in: Neurobiology of aging Vol. 142; pp. 52 - 64
• Main Authors: Opie, George M., Hughes, James M., Puri, Rohan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Ageing; Aging - physiology; Alpha; Alpha Rhythm - physiology; Beta; Beta Rhythm - physiology; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor function; Principal Component Analysis; Reaction Time - physiology; Waveform shape; Young Adult; Waveform shape; Alpha; Electroencephalography; Motor function; Ageing; Beta
• ISSN: 0197-4580; 1558-1497; 1558-1497
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.08.001

While the shape of cortical oscillations is increasingly recognised to be physiologically and functionally informative, its relevance to the aging motor system has not been established. We therefore examined the shape of alpha and beta band oscillations recorded at rest, as well as during performance of simple and go/no-go reaction time tasks, in 33 young (23.3 ± 2.9 years, 27 females) and 27 older (60.0 ± 5.2 years, 23 females) adults. The shape of individual oscillatory cycles was characterised using a recently developed pipeline involving empirical mode decomposition, before being decomposed into waveform motifs using principal component analysis. This revealed four principal components that were uniquely influenced by task and/or age. These described specific dimensions of shape and tended to be modulated during the reaction phase of each task. Our results suggest that although oscillation shape is task-dependent, the nature of this effect is altered by advancing age, possibly reflecting alterations in cortical activity. These outcomes demonstrate the utility of this approach for understanding the neurophysiological effects of ageing.
•The shape of cortical oscillations is physiologically and functionally relevant.•The influence of ageing on waveform shape is unknown.•Waveform motifs describing alpha and beta oscillation shape were derived.•Shape motifs were compared between young and older adults during motor tasks.•Different facets of shape showed unique sensitivity to ageing and task performance.