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Objective: Here we tested if cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms may differ in sub-groups of patients with prodromal and overt dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) as a function of relevant clinical symptoms.Methods: We extracted clinical, demographic and rsEEG datasets in matched DLB patients (N = 60) and control Alzheimer's disease (AD, N = 60) and healthy elderly (Nold, N = 60) seniors from our international database. The eLORETA freeware was used to estimate cortical rsEEG sources.Results: As compared to the Nold group, the DLB and AD groups generally exhibited greater spatially distributed delta source activities (DLB > AD) and lower alpha source activities posteriorly (AD > DLB). As compared to the DLB ``controls", the DLB patients with (1) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorders showed lower central alpha source activities (p < 0.005); (2) greater cognitive deficits exhibited higher parietal and central theta source activities as well as higher central, parietal, and occipital alpha source activities (p < 0.01); (3) visual hallucinations pointed to greater parietal delta source activities (p < 0.005).Conclusions: Relevant clinical features were associated with abnormalities in spatial and frequency features of rsEEG source activities in DLB patients.Significance: Those features may be used as neurophysiological surrogate endpoints of clinical symptoms in DLB patients in future cross-validation prospective studies. Ministry of Health, Italy; H2020 Marie S. Curie ITN-ETN project; H2020-TWINN-2015 project

Objectives: The present study aims to evaluate the amplitude and latency of event-related potentials (ERPs) P100, N170, VPP and N230 in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to healthy elderly controls, using a passive viewing task of emotional facial expressions. Methods: Twenty-four individuals with mild to moderate AD and 23 demographically matched healthy elderly controls were included in the study. ERP P100, N170, VPP and N230 amplitude and latency values were compared between groups. Results: The categorization of emotional facial expressions was intact; yet, increased P100 amplitude and latency, decreased N170 amplitude, and increased VPP amplitude were observed in AD compared to controls. Increased N230 amplitude and latency were observed in response to angry expressions, while neutral expressions elicited decreased amplitude and latency. Conclusions: Increased P100 amplitude and latency may reflect reduced amygdala volume and disruptions in the visual system, while decreased N170 and increased VPP amplitudes may reflect impaired perceptual processing, mitigated by a greater involvement of prefrontal areas for task performance in AD. Significance: This study is the first to report a complex pattern of ERPs to emotional facial expressions in individuals with AD. (C) 2019 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

WOS: 000427485900009 PubMed ID: 29448151 Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that markers of functional cortical source connectivity of resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms may be abnormal in subjects with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's (ADMCI) and Parkinson's (PDMCI) diseases compared to healthy elderly subjects (Nold). Methods: rsEEG data had been collected in ADMCI, PDMCI, and Nold subjects (N = 75 for any group). eLORETA freeware estimated functional lagged linear connectivity (LLC) from rsEEG cortical sources. Area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve indexed the accuracy in the classification of Nold and MCI individuals. Results: Posterior interhemispheric and widespread intrahemispheric alpha LLC solutions were abnormally lower in both MCI groups compared to the Nold group. At the individual level, AUROC curves of LLC solutions in posterior alpha sources exhibited moderate accuracies (0.70-0.72) in the discrimination of Nold vs. ADMCI-PDMCI individuals. No differences in the LLC solutions were found between the two MCI groups. Conclusions: These findings unveil similar abnormalities in functional cortical connectivity estimated in widespread alpha sources in ADMCI and PDMCI. This was true at both group and individual levels. Significance: The similar abnormality of alpha source connectivity in ADMCI and PDMCI subjects might reflect common cholinergic impairment. (C) 2018 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. H Marie S. Curie ITN-ETN project The present study was developed based on the data of the informal European Consortium PDWAVES and European Consortium of Dementia with Lewy Body. The members and institutional affiliations of the Consortia are reported in the cover page of this manuscript. Dr. Erol Basar passed away due to health problems on October 28th (November 18th 1938-October 28th 2017) in Istanbul, during the editorial processing of this manuscript. Until the end of his life, he had been working to the development of EEG science and its application in Clinical Neurophysiology. He leaves to all us an invaluable scientific legacy in the Science of Brain Rhythms and Human Cognition. He also leaves a permanent reminder of scientific passion, academic soul, and social responsibility to all fortunate people who met and knew him during his intense life. The research activities of the Unit of University of Rome "La Sapienza" were partially supported by the H2020 Marie S. Curie ITN-ETN project with the short title "BBDiag" (http://bbdiag-ITNetn.eu). We thank Mrs. Jessica Janson and Mrs. Marina Selivanova for their support to those activities in the framework of the BBDiag project.