Estimating the Tangent Space of States of Consciousness via EEG Microstate Analysis: Age-Related Disappearance of Hyper-Flexible States
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) July 8, 2026 Sergei Surnin
Ageing is associated not with a general decline in brain connectivity but with the disappearance of a subgroup of individuals who exhibit extremely high connectivity (>0.55) in electroencephalographic (EEG) microstate transitions. Analysis of data from the Dortmund Vital Study (608 participants aged 20–70, with a 5‑year follow‑up in 208 individuals) shows that most people maintain stable connectivity over five years, while the average decrease is driven by a sharp drop in a small subgroup (about 12 out of 208). The findings suggest that ageing involves the loss of hyper‑flexible neurodynamic states rather than a uniform contraction of the neurodynamic space.