The Role of Alpha Oscillations among the Main Neuropsychiatric Disorders in the Adult and Developing Human Brain: Evidence from the Last 10 Years of Research

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 10; no. 12; p. 3189
• Main Authors: Ippolito, Giuseppe, Bertaccini, Riccardo, Tarasi, Luca, Di Gregorio, Francesco, Trajkovic, Jelena, Battaglia, Simone, Romei, Vincenzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 08.12.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Accuracy; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Autism; Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Brain research; Cognition & reasoning; EEG; Electroencephalography; Major Depressive Disorder (MDD); Mental disorders; Mental illness; neuropsychiatric disorders; Oscillations; Phenotypes; Physiological aspects; Review; Rhythm; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD); Social research; United States; alpha frequency; connectivity; EEG; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD); alpha amplitude; neuropsychiatric disorders; Major Depressive Disorder (MDD); Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD); alpha oscillations
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123189

Alpha oscillations (7–13 Hz) are the dominant rhythm in both the resting and active brain. Accordingly, translational research has provided evidence for the involvement of aberrant alpha activity in the onset of symptomatological features underlying syndromes such as autism, schizophrenia, major depression, and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, findings on the matter are difficult to reconcile due to the variety of paradigms, analyses, and clinical phenotypes at play, not to mention recent technical and methodological advances in this domain. Herein, we seek to address this issue by reviewing the literature gathered on this topic over the last ten years. For each neuropsychiatric disorder, a dedicated section will be provided, containing a concise account of the current models proposing characteristic alterations of alpha rhythms as a core mechanism to trigger the associated symptomatology, as well as a summary of the most relevant studies and scientific contributions issued throughout the last decade. We conclude with some advice and recommendations that might improve future inquiries within this field.