Electrical changes in Brain with aging

Abstract

Changes in brain electrical activity with advancing age may form the basis of some important changes in other systems of the body. To analyze these electric changes, we included one hundred normal individuals in the study. No subject had history of epilepsy, stroke or dementia. No one had any psychoneurotic problem. Mini-mental state examination was done in all of them. Subjects included varied in age from 50 - 80 years EEG was done in each case. Both anterior brain (mainly frontal lobe) and posterior brain (mainly occipital and parietal lobe) regions showed changes in electric activity. In the age group of 50 - 60 years no theta waves were recorded but in relatively older age groups of 61 - 70 years and 71 - 80 years theta waves were recorded more frequently (10% and 20% respectively) Beta waves were dominant rhythm in age group of 50 - 60 years but in age groups 61 - 70 years and 71 - 80 years it was present only in 40% and 30% subjects respectively. In these groups relatively larger and slow alpha waves become prominent. These normal electrical changes in human brain should be taken into account when physicians are dealing with old patients of dementia and neurodegenerative disorders.