Peak individual alpha frequency qualifies as a stable neurophysiological trait marker in healthy younger and older adults

Abstract

The individual alpha frequency (IAF) of the human EEG reflects systemic properties of the brain, is highly heritable, and relates to cognitive functioning. Not much is known about the modifiability of IAF by cognitive interventions. We report analyses of resting EEG from a large-scale training study in which healthy younger (20-31 years, N = 30) and older (65-80 years, N = 28) adults practiced 12 cognitive tasks for~100 1-h sessions. EEG was recorded before and after the cognitive training intervention. In both age groups, IAF (and, in a control analysis, alpha amplitude) did not change, despite large gains in cognitive performance. As within-session reliability and test-retest stability were high for both age groups, imprecise measurements cannot account for the findings. In sum, IAF is highly stable in healthy adults up to 80 years, not easily modifiable by cognitive interventions alone, and thus qualifies as a stable neurophysiological trait marker. Descriptors: EEG, Alpha frequency, Reliability, Stability, TraitThe alpha frequency (AF) is the dominant frequency of the human electroencephalogram (EEG) during relaxed wakefulness and may tap into general central nervous system (CNS) functioning, as well as the status of mental health and cognitive functioning. Already Berger (1929Berger ( , 1933 took up a two-fold perspective on AF. He assessed AF in order to monitor changes within subjects (intraindividual change), such as the deceleration of AF caused by intoxication and its acceleration paralleling recovery from intoxication. He also measured the AF for individual patients and healthy individuals to delineate differences between persons (interindividual differences), for example, in relation to cognitive ability.Today, a vast amount of evidence supports and extends Berger's initial observations. Significant correlations between interindividual differences in AF and a large variety of cognitive measures have been observed

Individual Alpha Peak Frequency in Ice Hockey Shooting Performance

“…The present study supports previous literature suggesting IAPF “is highly stable in healthy adults up to 80 years, not easily modifiable by cognitive interventions alone, and thus qualifies as a stable neurophysiological trait marker” (Grandy et al, 2013b, p. 570). Moreover, the results are not in contrast with preliminary findings in sport that demonstrated a shift in IAPF may occur with physical activity when strong effort and cardio vascular and metabolic processes are involved.…”

“…Several studies within the cognitive domain have demonstrated that IAPF values are related to latent cognitive general factors (e.g., Grandy et al, 2013a), are strongly related to hereditability (e.g., Smit et al, 2006) and are not modifiable (e.g., Grandy et al, 2013b). These studies may partially explain the lack of variation in IAPF both at baseline, and pre-and post-task among groups.…”

An evaluation of mental workload with frontal EEG

“…We computed the EEG frequency band power using two sets of EEG band distributions -traditional EEG frequency band definitions (theta: 4–8Hz, alpha I: 8–11Hz, alpha II: 11–14Hz, beta I: 14–25Hz, beta II: 25–35Hz, gamma I: 35–40Hz, gamma II: 40–44Hz) and individualized frequency band distribution from individual alpha frequency (IAF) [17, 25]. Concerning about individual differences, theta and alpha ranges were defined from the baseline IAF with the following formula [26].…”

The interrelation between sensorimotor abilities, cognitive performance and individual EEG alpha peak frequency in young children

“…The iAPF has been found to show considerable heritability (Posthuma et al, 2001;Smit et al, 2006) and stability with respect to cognitive interventions in healthy adults (Grandy et al, 2013b). On the other hand, Angelakis et al (2007) demonstrated that the iAPF can be increased by neurofeedback training in older adults.…”

“…It is relatively easy to assess, and thus, has high potential for monitoring within-person changes of neurophysiological integrity from early childhood up to old age (Grandy et al, 2013b). However, although the iAPF has been repeatedly shown to relate to cognitive performance, its relationship to sensorimotor performance has not been investigated so far.…”