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EEG spectral power differences in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia
Yue Pan, Li Zhu, Ziliang Wang. International Journal of Neuroscience, 2025-11-17
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Both patient groups showed significant deviations from HC, but with distinct patterns. AD was characterized by a classic pattern of posterior alpha power decrease and frontal theta power increase. In contrast, FTD showed a more focused reduction of alpha power at frontal and central sites. These patterns were robust across both eyes-closed and eyes-open states, suggesting their potential as stable biomarkers. The spectral features showed limited correlation with MMSE scores, indicating they may capture unique aspects of neuropathology not reflected in standard cognitive screening. Resting-state EEG reveals distinct spectral signatures for AD and FTD, supporting its potential as a low-cost, non-invasive adjunctive tool for differential diagnosis. The replication of these findings in an independent, open-access dataset underscores their reliability and provides a foundation for developing automated diagnostic algorithms.
Key findings
- Both patient groups showed significant deviations from HC, but with distinct patterns.
- AD was characterized by a classic pattern of posterior alpha power decrease and frontal theta power increase.
- In contrast, FTD showed a more focused reduction of alpha power at frontal and central sites.
- These patterns were robust across both eyes-closed and eyes-open states, suggesting their potential as stable biomarkers.
- The spectral features showed limited correlation with MMSE scores, indicating they may capture unique aspects of neuropathology not reflected in standard cognitive screening.
Why it matters
Resting-state EEG showed different patterns of brain activity in Alzheimer's disease versus frontotemporal dementia, and these patterns were stable across eye-open and eye-closed states. This supports EEG as a possible low-cost, non-invasive extra tool to help tell these two dementias apart, though it is not a treatment.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 33/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | International Journal of Neuroscience: journal h-index 111 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Ziliang Wang: h-index 22 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Zhenjiang College: institution h-index 53 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41246936) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 33 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Pan, Y., Zhu, L., & Wang, Z. (2025). EEG spectral power differences in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. International Journal of Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207454.2025.2591129
Vancouver
Pan Y, Zhu L, Wang Z. EEG spectral power differences in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. International Journal of Neuroscience. 2025. doi:10.1080/00207454.2025.2591129. PMID: 41246936.
BibTeX
@article{pan2025-41246936,
author = {Pan, Yue and Zhu, Li and Wang, Ziliang},
title = {{EEG spectral power differences in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia}},
journal = {International Journal of Neuroscience},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1080/00207454.2025.2591129},
pmid = {41246936},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/00207454.2025.2591129}
}
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