The Role of Advanced Electroencephalographic Data As Marker of Pathology and Prognosis in Primary Dementias

Inclusion criteria for all study subjects:

• right-handed participants;

• monolingual native Italian speakers;

• age between 50-85 years old;

• normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity;

• oral and written informed consent to study participation.

• if assuming psychotropic drugs (i.e., benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, antidepressants), they should be at stable dosage for more than 4 weeks.

Inclusion criteria for MCI patients:

• diagnosis of amnestic MCI;

• mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 24;

• if assuming anticholinesterase inhibitors (i.e., galantamine, rivastigmine, donepezil) or memantine, they should be at stable dosage for more than 4 weeks;

• available CSF AD biomarkers.

Inclusion criteria for patients with mild dementia:

• diagnosis of AD dementia, FTD or LBD.

• MMSE score ≥ 15;

• if assuming anticholinesterase inhibitors (i.e., galantamine, rivastigmine, donepezil) or memantine, they should be at stable dosage for more than 4 weeks.

Exclusion criteria for patients:

• secondary forms of cognitive impairment on the basis of historical data, neurologic examination, and cerebral neuroimaging findings;

• very rapid cognitive decline that occurs over weeks or months, typically indicative of prion disease, neoplasm or metabolic disorders;

• history of other systemic (including systemic neoplasms in the last 3 years and abnormal hepatorenal functions), neurologic (including epilepsy), psychiatric diseases, head injury, cardiovascular events, and cerebrovascular alterations;

• alcohol and/or psychotropic drugs abuse;

• enrolment in clinical trials testing disease-modifying drugs for AD during study;

• contraindications to MRI study:

1. Cardiac pacemakers or other types of cardiac catheters;

2. metal splinters or fragments;

3. metal prostheses not compatible with the magnetic field generated during MRI;

4. claustrophobia.

• Women who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant during the study; breastfeeding women.

Exclusion criteria for healthy controls

• History of other systemic (including systemic neoplasms in the last 3 years and abnormal hepatorenal functions), neurologic (including epilepsy), psychiatric diseases, head injury, cardiovascular events, and cerebrovascular alterations;

• alcohol and/or psychotropic drugs abuse;

• contraindications to MRI study (see above);

• women who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant during the study; breastfeeding women.