Event-Related Desynchronization/Synchronization of Electrical Brain Activity during Modified Odd-Ball Tasks in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment

A great number of studies have been performed recently for the identification of reliable markers for effective and early detection of cognitive disorders. The neurophysiological basis of attention disorders in patients with coronary artery disease and cognitive impairment can be studied using a promising method of EEG rhythm desynchronization/synchronization. We analyzed the event-related desynchronization/synchronization of θ- and α-rhythms during a modified odd-ball test in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We found that patients with MCI had a reduced theta rhythm response during presentation of the target stimuli. Changes in the alpha desynchronization/synchronization were common for all CAD patients and apparently reflected selective attention processes. We assume that cognitive deficits in CAD patients are primarily accompanied by disorders in top-down attention control in the frontal sources, whereas the event-related α-activity is affected to a lesser extent and is not a valid marker of vascular MCI.