The relationship between baseline EEG spectra power and memory performance in older African Americans endorsing cognitive concerns in a community setting

•Reliable EEG signals can be recorded in community settings.•Older African Americans can tolerate EEG recordings in these settings.•EEG rhythms are sensitive to diffusion model parameter memory scores.•Higher memory scores are related to at rest EEG low delta and high theta power.•EEG provides potential screening for community-based enrollment into clinical trials.

The finding that some older individuals report declines in aspects of cognitive functioning is becoming a frequently used criteria to identify elderly at risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Once concerns are identified in a community setting, however, effective means are necessary to pinpoint those individuals who should go on to more complex and costly diagnostic evaluations (e.g., functional imaging). We tested 44 African American volunteers endorsing cognitive concerns (37 females, 7 males) age ≥ 65 years with CogState battery subtests and recorded resting-state EEG, with eyes closed. After current source density (CSD) transformations of EEG recordings we obtained spectral power for delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. We characterized CogState One Card Back Learning (OCL, memory) with diffusion model parameters drift rate, boundary and non-decision time (NDT). Forward regression models showed that lower OCL drift rate, slower accumulation of information needed for decision making was linked to increased absolute and relative delta at occipital region. Lower drift rate was also linked to decrease in OCL theta power at parietal region, with no findings for ONB. Results show that cortical resting, eyes closed EEG rhythms are related to memory in African American seniors endorsing cognitive concerns. This study further supports the use of EEG as an easily accessible, cost-effective, culture-fair, and noninvasive clinical measurement that could provide potentially reliable diagnostic (and perhaps prognostic) information to differentiate at-risk from stable African American seniors.