Neural Oscillatory and Network Signatures of Age-Related Cognitive Decline Under Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task Conditions

Against the backdrop of global population aging, understanding the mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline has become crucial for improving the health and quality of life in older adults. This study employed a multimodal approach to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying age-related decline during a motor-cognitive dual-task. By integrating behavioral assessments, electroencephalography(EEG), and body composition analysis, we comprehensively evaluated performance and neural correlates in 19 younger and 18 older adults. Key findings include: 1) Older adults exhibited significantly inferior performance in task accuracy, reaction time, and composite performance score compared to younger adults ( p  < 0.001); 2) Neural oscillatory analysis revealed a localized increase in gamma-band power at posterior-temporal sites (PO4/T6) in older adults, while younger adults exhibited widespread multi-band (delta to beta) power modulation across frontal, central, and temporal regions in younger adults; 3) Brain network analysis demonstrated synergistic enhancement of multi-band (Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma) connectivity and optimized topological organization in younger adults, contrasting with network rigidity and localized compensatory patterns in older adults; 4) Correlation analyses indicated significant associations between dual-task performance and MoCA-B scores in older adults (r = 0.861, p  < 0.001). This study innovatively elucidates the neurophysiological characteristics of brain aging under dual-task conditions. The motor-cognitive dual-task paradigm proves to be a sensitive tool for capturing early cognitive changes, holding significant promise for clinical screening.