Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity
Cognitive flexibility, the ability to adapt one’s behaviour in changing environments, declines during aging. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have implicated midfrontal theta oscillations in attentional set-shifting, a measure of cognitive flexibility. Little is known about the electrocortical u...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Aging Brain |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589958925000088 |
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| author | Margarita Darna Christopher Stolz Hannah-Sophia Jauch Hendrik Strumpf Jens-Max Hopf Constanze I. Seidenbecher Björn H. Schott Anni Richter |
| author_facet | Margarita Darna Christopher Stolz Hannah-Sophia Jauch Hendrik Strumpf Jens-Max Hopf Constanze I. Seidenbecher Björn H. Schott Anni Richter |
| author_sort | Margarita Darna |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive flexibility, the ability to adapt one’s behaviour in changing environments, declines during aging. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have implicated midfrontal theta oscillations in attentional set-shifting, a measure of cognitive flexibility. Little is known about the electrocortical underpinnings of set-shifting in aging. Here, we investigated aging effects on set-shifting performance by analysing theta power in 20 young (mean age: 22.5 ± 2.9 years) and 19 older (mean age: 69.4 ± 6.1 years) adults. Increasing shift difficulty (i.e., intra- vs. extra-dimensional shifts) elicited worse performance in both age groups, with older adults showing overall longer reaction times (RTs) and increased RT variability. Young adults exhibited amplified midfrontal theta power increases with higher shift difficulty whereas older adults showed overall lower theta power and no task-related midfrontal theta power modulation, indicating potentially distinct underlying neural mechanisms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d3ef9a6149a040f495c028984e6be405 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2589-9589 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aging Brain |
| spelling | doaj-art-d3ef9a6149a040f495c028984e6be4052025-08-20T03:26:30ZengElsevierAging Brain2589-95892025-01-01810014210.1016/j.nbas.2025.100142Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activityMargarita Darna0Christopher Stolz1Hannah-Sophia Jauch2Hendrik Strumpf3Jens-Max Hopf4Constanze I. Seidenbecher5Björn H. Schott6Anni Richter7Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany; Clinic for Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Clinic for Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Intervention and Research on Adaptive and Maladaptive Brain Circuits Underlying Mental Health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, GermanyCenter for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Intervention and Research on Adaptive and Maladaptive Brain Circuits Underlying Mental Health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany; Corresponding author at: Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany.Cognitive flexibility, the ability to adapt one’s behaviour in changing environments, declines during aging. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have implicated midfrontal theta oscillations in attentional set-shifting, a measure of cognitive flexibility. Little is known about the electrocortical underpinnings of set-shifting in aging. Here, we investigated aging effects on set-shifting performance by analysing theta power in 20 young (mean age: 22.5 ± 2.9 years) and 19 older (mean age: 69.4 ± 6.1 years) adults. Increasing shift difficulty (i.e., intra- vs. extra-dimensional shifts) elicited worse performance in both age groups, with older adults showing overall longer reaction times (RTs) and increased RT variability. Young adults exhibited amplified midfrontal theta power increases with higher shift difficulty whereas older adults showed overall lower theta power and no task-related midfrontal theta power modulation, indicating potentially distinct underlying neural mechanisms.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589958925000088Theta powerCognitive flexibilitySet-shiftingElectroencephalography (EEG)Healthy aging |
| spellingShingle | Margarita Darna Christopher Stolz Hannah-Sophia Jauch Hendrik Strumpf Jens-Max Hopf Constanze I. Seidenbecher Björn H. Schott Anni Richter Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity Aging Brain Theta power Cognitive flexibility Set-shifting Electroencephalography (EEG) Healthy aging |
| title | Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity |
| title_full | Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity |
| title_fullStr | Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity |
| title_short | Frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility: Age-related modulations in EEG activity |
| title_sort | frontal theta oscillations and cognitive flexibility age related modulations in eeg activity |
| topic | Theta power Cognitive flexibility Set-shifting Electroencephalography (EEG) Healthy aging |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589958925000088 |
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