Electroencephalography, pupillometry, and behavioral evidence for locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system related tonic hyperactivity in older adults

Neuroimaging studies have shown that age-related dysregulation of the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system is associated with cognitive decline. However, due to limitations in directly measuring LC function in vivo, it remains unclear whether age-related alterations in humans reflect tonic LC-NA system hyper- or hypoactivity, constraining our understanding of underlying mechanisms and hampers the development of targeted preventative interventions. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that cognitively healthy older adults sustain tonic LC hyperactivity, by acquiring electrophysiological, pupillometric, and behavioral measures during a passive and active auditory oddball paradigm. We capitalized on the LC-NA system’s role in arousal regulation and manipulated state arousal using the unpredictable threat of electric shock. We hypothesized that if older adults maintain elevated LC activity compared with young adults, task-evoked noradrenergic responses would be less responsive to arousal in older adults. Consistent with this hypothesis, arousal elicited weaker behavioral responses, pupil dilation responses, and P300 event-related potentials in older adults compared with young adults. Linear mixed models revealed an arousal by modality interaction, showing that arousal differentially modulated attentional control to salient but task-irrelevant distractors between both age groups. Collectively, these findings support the hypothesis that aging is associated with tonic LC-NA system hyperactivity in humans, with neuromodulatory consequences for mechanisms of attentional control. Furthermore, the multimodal approach underscores the potential of non-invasive physiological markers to assess LC-NA system function throughout aging and identify individuals at elevated risk for neurodegenerative progression prior to the emergence of clinical biomarkers.