Features of the EEG Spectral Composition in Patients with Cervicocranialgias and Dorsalgias of Different Origin

Abstract

We examined the spectral composition of ongoing EEG activity in 77 patients suffering from intense pain in the neck and/or back (cervicocranialgia and/or dorsalgia) caused by neurological vertebral disorders of reflex origin (group VDRO, n = 43), multiple sclerosis (group MS, n = 17), and consequences of earlier neuroinfections (group NIC, n = 17). Visual analysis of EEG records of these patients showed the existence of disorganized EEG patterns more intensely manifested in the latter two groups. Spectral EEG analysis demonstrated that the averaged spectral powers (SPs) of β1 and β2 oscillations in patients of group MS were, in almost all EEG leads, significantly greater than those in subjects of groups VDRO and NIC, while the SP of θ activity in most cortical loci (except frontal ones) was significantly lower. The SP of the β1 and β2 subrhythms demonstrated significant negative correlations with the frequency of pain attacks in the VDRO group. At the same time, the power of this subrhythm in the MS group showed close positive correlations with the pain intensity, while these indices in the group NIC correlated with the frequency of pain attacks. The increased power of high-frequency components of ongoing EEG can be considered an EEG correlate of dorsalgials and cervicocranialgias in MS patients.