Is the Electroencephalogram Power Spectrum Valuable for Diagnosis of the Elderly with Cognitive Impairment?

Background: To study the changes of electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum in the elderly with mild cognitive dysfunction in resting and working memory task states. Methods: In this study, 40 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD group), 40 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI group), and 40 normal controls (NC group) were enrolled. Their EEGs were recorded in resting and working memory task states. The EEG power spectrum, including δ, θ, α1, α2, β1, and β2, were analyzed from 10 channels: right and left frontal (F3, F4), central (C3, C4), parietal (P3, P4), temporal (T3, T4), and occipital (O1, O2). Results: In the resting state, the δ and θ powers from some regions in the AD group were higher than those in the NC group and the MCI group (p