Neurophysiological Correlates of the Intellectual Function of Elderly Persons Living in the Community
H. SHAN WANG M.B.1,
WALTER D. OBRIST PH.D.2, , and
EWALD W. BUSSE M.D.3
1 Assistant professor, department of psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27706
2 Professor of medical psychology, department of psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27706
3 Professor and chairman, department of psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27706
EEG examinations and cerebral blood flow determinations were carried out in two groups of relatively healthy aged community volunteers who participated in a longitudinal study. Intellectual function, as assessed by the WAIS, was correlated with these cerebral physiological variables. Dominant brain wave frequency, the presence of temporal lobe EEG foci, and estimates of grey matter blood flow were found to be significantly related to intelligence test performance. The results emphasize the value of longitudinal observations in aging studies.
