OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is to explore the changes of spatial correlates of alpha rhythm in the aged adults. METHODS Electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were simultaneously recorded from 27 young and 19 elderly adults at resting state with their eyes closed. Alpha rhythm power fluctuation was extracted from EEG signal of parietal-occipital region and was fused with fMRI data by correlating alpha rhythm with blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal using general linear models. RESULTS For both young adults and the elderly, the regions correlated with alpha rhythm power were widely distributed in cortical and subcortical regions. However, compared to young adults, correlations between alpha rhythm and the activity of thalamus and frontal regions were significantly reduced in the elderly. In addition, an increased correlation with alpha rhythm was found in frontal, insula and cingulate gyrus regions in the elderly. CONCLUSIONS Changes in the roles of the above brain regions may be present in the generation or modulation of alpha rhythm due to age advancing. SIGNIFICANCE This study provides novel insight into the alteration of the spatial correlates of alpha rhythm in the elderly by using simultaneous EEG-fMRI data fusion analysis.

中文翻译：

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健康老龄化中静息状态α节律与血氧水平依赖性信号的改变关系：脑电图-fMRI融合分析的证据

目的本研究的目的是探讨老年人阿尔法节律空间相关性的变化。方法 同时记录 27 名青年和 19 名处于静息状态且闭眼的老年人的脑电图 (EEG) 和功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 数据。α 节律功率波动是从顶枕区的 EEG 信号中提取的，并通过使用一般线性模型将 α 节律与血氧水平依赖 (BOLD) 信号相关联来与 fMRI 数据融合。结果对于年轻人和老年人，与α节律功率相关的区域广泛分布在皮质和皮质下区域。然而，与年轻人相比，老年人的α节律与丘脑和额叶区域活动之间的相关性显着降低。此外，在老年人的额叶、岛叶和扣带回区域发现与 α 节律的相关性增加。结论随着年龄的增长，上述大脑区域的作用可能会发生变化，出现在α节律的产生或调制中。意义本研究通过使用同步 EEG-fMRI 数据融合分析，为老年人 alpha 节律的空间相关性的改变提供了新的见解。