Charting the Normative Electroencephalography in Healthy Aging Population

Neuropsychiatric disorders, impacting millions globally, lead to significant societal costs due to the lack of early biological detection and treatment prediction tools. The intricate nature of these disorders' neurobiological underpinnings presents a challenge for early diagnosis and treatment outcome prediction. Normative modeling in neuroimaging offers a promising statistical approach to establish a reference for brain health. Establishing normative biomarker ranges allows us to identify deviations that may indicate abnormalities in brain functioning, offering a gateway to further investigate potential pathologies. While behavioral (e.g., for IQ or a score on a depression questionnaire) and structural brain normative models exist, a reliable functional brain activity model remains undeveloped — a crucial gap, given that functional abnormalities underlie most neuropsychiatric conditions. This project aims to leverage extensive electroencephalography (EEG) data from the cognitive neuropsychology department in combination with publicly accessible datasets to create a normative model for brain function in healthy aging populations. This interdisciplinary endeavor will not only propel digital science forward but also bridge it with societal healthcare challenges.