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Event-related potential markers of subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment during a sustained visuo-attentive task
Alberto Arturo Vergani, Salvatore Mazzeo, Valentina Moschini, Rachele Burali, Michael Lassi, Lorenzo Gaetano Amato, Jacopo Carpaneto, Giovanni Salvestrini et al.. NeuroImage Clinical, 2025-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
• SCD patients showed attenuation of sensory (P1, N1, P2) and cognitive (P300, P600, P900) components, with performance-related gains. • MCI patients exhibited neural compensations, reversing the downward trend observed in SCD, which resulted in a non-monotonic pattern of ERPs. • The progression of cognitive decline was linked to electrophysiological discontinuity, suggesting resilience mechanisms in both low and higher order cognitive regions. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease stages lack well-defined electrophysiological correlates, creating a critical gap in the identification of robust biomarkers for early diagnosis and intervention. In this study, we analysed event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded during a sustained visual attention task in a cohort of 178 individuals (119 SCD, 40 MCI, and 19 healthy subjects, HS) to investigate sensory and cognitive processing alterations associated with these conditions. SCD patients exhibited significant attenuation in both sensory (P1, N1, P2) and cognitive (P300, P600, P900) components compared to HS, with cognitive components showing performance-related gains. In contrast, MCI patients did not show a further decrease in any ERP component compared to SCD. Instead, they exhibited compensatory enhancements, reversing the downward trend observed in SCD. This compensation resulted in a non-monotonic pattern of ERP alterations across clinical conditions, suggesting that MCI patients engage neural mechanisms to counterbalance sensory and cognitive deficits. These findings support the use of electrophysiological markers in support of medical decision-making, enhancing personalized prognosis and guiding targeted interventions in cognitive decline.
Key findings
- In this study, we analysed event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded during a sustained visual attention task in a cohort of 178 individuals (119 SCD, 40 MCI, and 19 healthy subjects, HS) to investigate sensory and cognitive processing alterations associated with these conditions.
- SCD patients exhibited significant attenuation in both sensory (P1, N1, P2) and cognitive (P300, P600, P900) components compared to HS, with cognitive components showing performance-related gains.
- In contrast, MCI patients did not show a further decrease in any ERP component compared to SCD.
- This compensation resulted in a non-monotonic pattern of ERP alterations across clinical conditions, suggesting that MCI patients engage neural mechanisms to counterbalance sensory and cognitive deficits.
- These findings support the use of electrophysiological markers in support of medical decision-making, enhancing personalized prognosis and guiding targeted interventions in cognitive decline.
Why it matters
In 178 individuals, subjective cognitive decline showed attenuation of sensory and cognitive event-related potential components, while mild cognitive impairment showed compensatory enhancements. These are electrophysiological findings about cognitive decline, not a treatment, cure or prevention.
Study details
- Participants178
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (NeuroImage Clinical) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | NeuroImage Clinical: journal h-index 133 (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 | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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 | 2 / 4 | 178 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 9 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 9 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Alberto Mazzoni: h-index 33 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Florence: institution h-index 739 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40023055) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103760
- PubMed: 40023055
- Original source →
- Free full text: NeuroImage Clinical →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Vergani, A. A., Mazzeo, S., Moschini, V., Burali, R., Lassi, M., Amato, L. G., et al. (2025). Event-related potential markers of subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment during a sustained visuo-attentive task. NeuroImage Clinical. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103760
Vancouver
Vergani AA, Mazzeo S, Moschini V, Burali R, Lassi M, Amato LG, et al. Event-related potential markers of subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment during a sustained visuo-attentive task. NeuroImage Clinical. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103760. PMID: 40023055.
BibTeX
@article{vergani2025-40023055,
author = {Vergani, Alberto Arturo and Mazzeo, Salvatore and Moschini, Valentina and Burali, Rachele and Lassi, Michael and Amato, Lorenzo Gaetano and Carpaneto, Jacopo and Salvestrini, Giovanni and others},
title = {{Event-related potential markers of subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment during a sustained visuo-attentive task}},
journal = {NeuroImage Clinical},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103760},
pmid = {40023055},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103760}
}
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