Age increases brain complexity
Anokhin, Andrey P. ; Birbaumer, Niels ; Lutzenberger, Werner ; Nikolaev, Andrey LU
and Vogel, Friedrich
(1996)
In Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
99(1).
p.63-68
- Abstract
This study investigated age-related changes in the human brain function using both traditional EEG analysis (power spectra) and the correlational dimension, a measure reflecting the complexity of EEG dynamics and, probably, the complexity of neurophysiologicaI processes generating the EEG. Assuming that the accumulation of individual experience is determined by the formation of functionally related groups of neurons showing a repetitive synchronous activation (cell assemblies), an increase in the number of such independently oscillating cortical cell assemblies can be expected, despite a decline of some metabolic and memory functions with normal age ing. Thus, the 'wisdom of old age' may find its neurophysiological basis in greater... (More)
This study investigated age-related changes in the human brain function using both traditional EEG analysis (power spectra) and the correlational dimension, a measure reflecting the complexity of EEG dynamics and, probably, the complexity of neurophysiologicaI processes generating the EEG. Assuming that the accumulation of individual experience is determined by the formation of functionally related groups of neurons showing a repetitive synchronous activation (cell assemblies), an increase in the number of such independently oscillating cortical cell assemblies can be expected, despite a decline of some metabolic and memory functions with normal age ing. Thus, the 'wisdom of old age' may find its neurophysiological basis in greater complexity of brain dynamics compared to young ages. The experimental hypothesis was that EEG dimension steadily increases with age. In order to test this hypothesis the resting EEGs of 5 age groups from 7 to 60 were analysed. The results confirm the hypothesis: after a jump in the brain dynamics complexity during puberty a linear increase with age is observed. During maturation (7-25 years), the maximum gain in complexity occurs over the frontal associative cortex.
(Less)
- author
- Anokhin, Andrey P.
; Birbaumer, Niels
; Lutzenberger, Werner
; Nikolaev, Andrey
LU
and Vogel, Friedrich
- publishing date
- 1996-01-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Development, Dimensional complexity
- in
- Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
- volume
- 99
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 6 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:0030199736
- pmid:8758971
- ISSN
- 0013-4694
- DOI
- 10.1016/0921-884X(96)95573-3
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 7a585901-756a-4194-bd77-e69f9408bc0e
- date added to LUP
- 2020-03-31 20:02:57
- date last changed
- 2024-06-26 14:09:49
@article{7a585901-756a-4194-bd77-e69f9408bc0e,
abstract = {{<p>This study investigated age-related changes in the human brain function using both traditional EEG analysis (power spectra) and the correlational dimension, a measure reflecting the complexity of EEG dynamics and, probably, the complexity of neurophysiologicaI processes generating the EEG. Assuming that the accumulation of individual experience is determined by the formation of functionally related groups of neurons showing a repetitive synchronous activation (cell assemblies), an increase in the number of such independently oscillating cortical cell assemblies can be expected, despite a decline of some metabolic and memory functions with normal age ing. Thus, the 'wisdom of old age' may find its neurophysiological basis in greater complexity of brain dynamics compared to young ages. The experimental hypothesis was that EEG dimension steadily increases with age. In order to test this hypothesis the resting EEGs of 5 age groups from 7 to 60 were analysed. The results confirm the hypothesis: after a jump in the brain dynamics complexity during puberty a linear increase with age is observed. During maturation (7-25 years), the maximum gain in complexity occurs over the frontal associative cortex.</p>}},
author = {{Anokhin, Andrey P. and Birbaumer, Niels and Lutzenberger, Werner and Nikolaev, Andrey and Vogel, Friedrich}},
issn = {{0013-4694}},
keywords = {{Development; Dimensional complexity}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{01}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{63--68}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology}},
title = {{Age increases brain complexity}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0921-884X(96)95573-3}},
doi = {{10.1016/0921-884X(96)95573-3}},
volume = {{99}},
year = {{1996}},
}