Onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology is estimated to begin 20-30 years prior to clinical symptom onset. Resting state EEG may yield useful early biomarkers of pathology, but its use along the AD clinical continuum is still limited, especially in individuals who are at high risk for AD but have yet to show symptoms. EEG waveform oscillations are classified based by frequency range (alpha, beta, theta, delta). Changes within these frequency bands have been identified in individuals with AD-dementia as compared to those with MCI and normal aging. Typical changes involve increases in low frequency power bands of delta and theta and decreases in beta and alpha frequencies, particularly in more posterior brain regions. However, these methods have yet to be explored in cognitively normal individuals who are at high risk for AD, as work has shown between individuals with MCI and healthy older adults.

We compared differences in resting state EEG between older adults (age 60+) at high risk for AD (positive family history, genetic risk defined as carrying 1 + ApoE ε4 alleles) and individuals at low risk (negative family history, no ε4 allele). We collected 1) neuropsychological test performance; 2) self-report measures of subjective cognitive complaints and cognitive reserve; and 3) five minutes of eyes-open resting state EEG using 64-channel active electrodes. Clusters of three electrodes were average for regions and absolute power within 5 frequency bands was calculated. Theta/beta ratio was calculated by dividing absolute power of bands at its respective site. Correlations between absolute power for specific regions, self-report measures, and neuropsychological test scores.

Analysis of 20 individuals collected to date (14 high risk, 6 low risk) found associations (p<0.05) between risk group and beta and gamma power across multiple electrode clusters, with high-risk individuals having higher power. Significant correlations were also found between calculated measures of cognitive reserve and posterior theta/beta ratio, subjective cognitive complaints and beta power, and neuropsychological test composites of learning performance with delta and executive functioning with frontal theta power.

This work provides preliminary evidence for differences in resting state EEG activity in those at risk for AD, prior to onset of clinical symptoms. Future work will examine patients with mild cognitive impairment as a comparison group to characterize resting state EEG across the early AD continuum.