A cortical alpha-beta rhythm gradient decays with age
Task-free magnetoencephalography of 604 participants showed a continuous alpha-to-beta cortical gradient that correlates positively with cognition and decays with age.
bioRxiv
In a study of 604 human participants, researchers analyzed task-free magnetoencephalography data to map resting brain rhythms. Cortical alpha and beta oscillations are traditionally treated as spatially distinct, with alpha rhythms localized to occipital regions and beta rhythms to frontal regions. Using density-based unsupervised clustering of spatio-spectral peaks, the authors found that oscillatory activity across the alpha-to-beta range instead forms a continuous gradient extending from occipitotemporal to frontal cortices. This organizational pattern links activity across all neocortical lobes. The expression of this spatio-spectral gradient correlated positively with cognitive performance and decayed with age.
Why it matters
Identifying continuous organizational gradients across the neocortex provides a clearer view of how sensorimotor communication networks are coordinated. Because this gradient decays with age alongside cognitive performance, it offers a potential electrophysiological marker for studying brain aging.
Caveats
The study is an observational analysis that cannot establish a causal relationship between gradient decay and cognitive decline. In addition, the paper is a preprint that has not yet completed peer review.
The paper
Resting Cortical Alpha and Beta Oscillations are Continuous Across Space and Frequency
Simon Fraser University
bioRxiv · 28 Sep 2026 · Preprint, not peer-reviewed