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Age differences in aperiodic neural activity measured with resting EEG

View ORCID ProfileAshley Merkin, View ORCID ProfileSabrina Sghirripa, Lynton Graetz, View ORCID ProfileAshleigh E. Smith, View ORCID ProfileBrenton Hordacre, View ORCID ProfileRichard Harris, Julia Pitcher, View ORCID ProfileJohn Semmler, View ORCID ProfileNigel C. Rogasch, View ORCID ProfileMitchell Goldsworthy
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.31.458328
Ashley Merkin
1Lifespan Human Neurophysiology Group, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
4Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
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Sabrina Sghirripa
1Lifespan Human Neurophysiology Group, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
2Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
4Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
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Lynton Graetz
1Lifespan Human Neurophysiology Group, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
4Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
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Ashleigh E. Smith
5Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) Research Centre, Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
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Brenton Hordacre
6Innovation, Implementation and Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
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Richard Harris
8School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, England
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Julia Pitcher
7School of Medicine, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
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John Semmler
2Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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Nigel C. Rogasch
3Discipline of Psychiatry, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
4Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
9Brain, Mind and Society Research Hub, School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
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Mitchell Goldsworthy
1Lifespan Human Neurophysiology Group, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
2Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
3Discipline of Psychiatry, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
4Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
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  • For correspondence: mitchell.goldsworthy@adelaide.edu.au
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Abstract

Previous research using electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) has shown that neural oscillatory activity within the alpha band (8-12 Hz) becomes slower and lower in amplitude with advanced age. However, most studies have focused on quantifying age-related differences in periodic oscillatory activity with little consideration of the influence of aperiodic activity on these measures. The aim of this study was to investigate age differences in aperiodic activity inherent in the resting EEG signal. We assessed aperiodic activity in 85 healthy younger adults (mean age: 22.2 years, SD: 3.9, age range: 18–35, 37 male) and 92 healthy older adults (mean age: 66.1 years, SD: 8.2, age range 50–86, 53 male) by fitting the 1/f-like background activity evident in EEG power spectra using the fitting oscillations & one over f (FOOOF) toolbox. Across the scalp, the aperiodic exponent and offset were smaller in older compared to younger participants, reflecting a flatter 1/f-like slope and a downward broadband shift in the power spectra with age. Before correcting for aperiodic activity, older adults showed slower peak alpha frequency and reduced peak alpha power relative to younger adults. After correcting for aperiodic activity, peak alpha frequency remained slower in older adults; however, peak alpha power no longer differed statistically between age groups. The large sample size utilized in this study, as well as the depth of analysis, provides further evidence that the aperiodic component of the resting EEG signal is altered with aging and should be considered when investigating neural oscillatory activity.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted September 01, 2021.
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Age differences in aperiodic neural activity measured with resting EEG
Ashley Merkin, Sabrina Sghirripa, Lynton Graetz, Ashleigh E. Smith, Brenton Hordacre, Richard Harris, Julia Pitcher, John Semmler, Nigel C. Rogasch, Mitchell Goldsworthy
bioRxiv 2021.08.31.458328; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.31.458328
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Age differences in aperiodic neural activity measured with resting EEG
Ashley Merkin, Sabrina Sghirripa, Lynton Graetz, Ashleigh E. Smith, Brenton Hordacre, Richard Harris, Julia Pitcher, John Semmler, Nigel C. Rogasch, Mitchell Goldsworthy
bioRxiv 2021.08.31.458328; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.31.458328

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