Journal
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
Volume 131, Issue 9, Pages 2181-2191Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.06.015
Keywords
Ageing; Neuroplasticity; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; EEG; Theta burst stimulation; Prefrontal cortex
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Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) [1102272, 1072057]
- Alzheimer's Australia Dementia Research Foundation (AADRF) [DGP13F00034, DGP14-98]
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia [1102272, 1072057] Funding Source: NHMRC
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Objective: Advanced age is accompanied by a deterioration in memory performance that can profoundly influence activities of daily living. However, the neural processes responsible for age-related memory decline are not fully understood. Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in combination with electroencephalography (EEG) to assess age-related changes in neuroplasticity in the human prefrontal cortex. Methods: TMS-evoked cortical potentials (TEPs) were recorded before and following the neuroplasticity-inducing intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), applied to the left lateral prefrontal cortex in healthy young (n = 33, mean age 22 +/- 3 years) and older adults (n = 33, mean age 68 +/- 7 years). Results: iTBS increased the amplitude of the positive TEP component at 60 ms after the TMS pulse (P60) in young, but not older adults. This age-related decline in P60 plasticity response was associated with poorer visuospatial associative (but not working) memory performance in older adults. Conclusions: These findings suggest that neuroplasticity in the human lateral prefrontal cortex is reduced in older relative to young adults, and this may be an important factor in age-related memory decline. Significance: This may have important implications for the early detection of cognitive decline and dementia. (C) 2020 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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