Altered source-based EEG coherence of resting-state sensorimotor network in early-stage Alzheimer's disease compared to mild cognitive impairment

Although the altered coherence between cortical areas in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been widely studied, it remains unclear whether the source-based coherence measures within sensorimotor network show significant difference between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. In the present study, resting-state electroencephalographic signals were recorded from 21 MCI and 21 mild AD patients. The spectral power and coherence in the sensorimotor areas were analyzed using the minimum norm estimate (MNE) combined with fast Fourier transform and coherence analysis in delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-13 Hz), beta (13-25 Hz), and gamma (25-40 Hz) bands. Our results indicated that source-based coherence in AD showed increased delta coherences between the bilateral precentral, left supplementary motor area (SMA) and right precentral, and left SMA and right postcentral areas. However, no significant difference of spectral powers was observed between AD and MCI. To conclude, the phenotype conversion from MCI to AD may be associated with an altered connectivity of the sensorimotor cortical network. This is a promising finding; however, further large-scale studies are needed.