Topographic maps of brain electrical activity in primary degenerative dementia of the Alzheimer type and multiinfarct dementia.

The topography of the electroencephalographic (EEG) pattern of ten patients with primary degenerative dementia of the Alzheimer type, ten multiinfarct dementia patients, and ten age-matched controls was compared during three different behavioral conditions: resting condition with eyes open (EO), memorizing a list of words (M), and recalling the same list of words (R). Results indicate that the alpha frequency band does not show significant changes. On the other hand, the theta band could be considered an important factor in the differential diagnosis of the primary degenerative dementia of the Alzheimer type, showing a higher power over right posterior regions in this group of patients compared with the multiinfarct dementia patients under different behavioral conditions.