Electroencephalography is a good complement to currently established dementia biomarkers

Sammendrag på engelsk (abstract)

Background/Aims: Dementia biomarkers that are accessible and easily applicable in non-specialized clinical settings are urgently needed. Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) is a good candidate and the statistical pattern recognition (SPR) method has recently provided promising results. We tested the diagnostic value of qEEG-SPR in comparison to cognition, structural imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

Methods: A total of 511 individuals were recruited from the multicentre NORD EEG study (141 healthy controls, 64 subjective cognitive decline, 124 mild cognitive impairment, 135 AD, 15 dementia with Lewy bodies / Parkinson’s disease with dementia (DLB/PDD), 32 other dementias). The EEG data were recorded in a standardized way. Structural imaging data was visually rated using scales of atrophy in the medial temporal, frontal, and posterior cortex.

Results: qEEG-SPR outperformed structural imaging, cognition, and CSF biomarkers in DLB/PDD diagnosis; outperformed structural imaging in AD diagnosis; and improved differential diagnosis of AD. In addition, qEEG-SPR allowed differentiating two clinically different AD subtypes.

Conclusion: Adding qEEG to the diagnostic workup substantially increases detection of AD pathology even in pre-dementia stages, and improves differential diagnosis. EEG could serve as a good complement to currently established dementia biomarkers since it is cheap, non-invasive, and is extensively applied outside academic centres.