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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Resting-state EEG aperiodic exponent moderates the association between age and memory performance in older adults
Neurobiology of Aging, Vol.160, pp.10-21
2026
PMID: 41468657
Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection
Abstract
Memory functions are susceptible to age-related cognitive decline, making it essential to explore the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms that contribute to memory function during healthy ageing. Resting-state EEG (rsEEG) parameters, particularly the aperiodic exponent, a marker of cortical excitation-inhibition balance, and individual alpha peak frequency, a correlate of neural processing efficiency, have demonstrated associations with ageing and cognitive functions. This study investigated associations between these rsEEG markers and performance across multiple memory systems in healthy older adults (n = 99) aged 50–84 years, specifically the direct associations of these markers on memory across episodic, working, and visual short-term memory systems, assessed via computerised tasks, as well as their moderating effects on age-memory relationships. While no direct associations were seen between rsEEG markers and memory performance across tasks beyond the contribution of age, gender and education, results revealed significant moderating effects of the aperiodic exponent on age-related performance in episodic and visual short-term memory. Notably, for individuals with a higher exponent, age was not significantly associated with episodic or visual short-term memory performance, whereas those with average and lower exponent values showed poorer performance with older age. These findings suggest that average and lower aperiodic exponents may reflect a marker of decrement in age-related memory performance and higher exponents may index an underlying protective mechanism against age-related memory decline. This investigation extends the current understanding of cognitive ageing mechanisms by identifying the aperiodic exponent as a potential biomarker explaining individual differences in cognitive ageing trajectories in older adult populations, particularly in episodic and visual short-term memory systems, and establishes a framework for studying neuroprotective mechanisms and developing interventions to preserve cognitive function in older adults.
Details
- Title
- Resting-state EEG aperiodic exponent moderates the association between age and memory performance in older adults
- Authors
- Alicia J. Campbell (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteToomas Erik Anijärv - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteMikael Johansson - Lund UniversityThomas Pace - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteJim Lagopoulos - Thompson Brain and Mind Healthcare (Australia)Daniel F. Hermens - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteJacob M. Levenstein - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteSophie C. Andrews - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
- Publication details
- Neurobiology of Aging, Vol.160, pp.10-21
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.12.008
- ISSN
- 1558-1497; 0197-4580
- PMID
- 41468657
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- The scripts for EEG preprocessing and spectral analysis are publicly available at http://github.com/aliciajcampbell/EEG-notebooks, while the scripts for statistical analyses are publicly available at http://github.com/aliciajcampbell/LEISURE-EEG-cog-analyses.
- Grant note
- The LEISURE study was funded by a grant from the Wilson Foundation.
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Thompson Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991193873002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
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