Resting EEG power spectra across middle to late life: Associations with age, cognition, APOE-ε4 carriage and cardiometabolic burden

We investigated how resting EEG measures are associated with risk factors for late-life cognitive impairment and dementia, including age, Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE-ε4) carriage and cardiometabolic burden. Resting EEG was recorded from 86 adults (50-80 years of age). Participants additionally completed the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE) III and had blood drawn to assess APOE-ε4 carriage status and cardiometabolic burden. EEG power spectra were decomposed into sources of periodic and aperiodic activity to derive measures of aperiodic component slope and alpha (7-14 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) peak power and peak frequency. Alpha and beta peak power measures were corrected for aperiodic activity. The aperiodic component slope was correlated with ACE-III scores but not age. Alpha peak frequency decreased with age. Individuals with higher cardiometabolic burden had lower alpha peak frequencies and lower beta peak power. APOE-ε4 carriers had lower beta peak frequencies. Our findings suggest that the slope of the aperiodic component of resting EEG power spectra is more closely associated with measures of cognitive performance rather than chronological age in older adults.