Low Back Pain Assessment Based on Alpha Oscillation Changes in Spontaneous Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Li Feng,Hanlei Li,Xiaobo Xie,Shengpu Xu,Yong Hu,Hongyan Cui,Yazhuo Kong

doi:10.1155/2021/8537437

Abstract

Objectively and accurately assessing pain in clinical settings is challenging. Previous studies showed that alpha oscillations of electroencephalogram data are correlated with subjective perceived pain. Based on this finding, this study is aimed at assessing chronic low back pain based on alpha oscillations. Multichannel electroencephalogram data were recorded from 27 subjects with chronic low back pain under the simple conditions of closing eyes or opening eyes. Spectral analyses were conducted to extract the alpha band responses, and the alpha powers were calculated for the two conditions, respectively. Normalized alpha power was calculated by subtracting the alpha power in the eyes-open condition from that in the eyes-closed condition. The correlation between the alpha power and the subjective pain intensity was evaluated in frontal, central, and posterior regions. The normalized alpha power in the central region was negatively correlated with the subjective pain intensity (R = −0.50, P = 0.01), with the strongest correlation occurring at the Cz electrode (R = −0.59, P = 0.04). The correlation analysis results demonstrated the possibility of using the differences of alpha spectral power between eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions as a measure for assessing chronic low back pain. The findings suggest that the normalized alpha power in the central region may be used as a measurable and quantitative indicator of chronic pain for clinical applications.

Highlights

Pain, especially chronic pain, is one of the biggest public health problems in our society [1]
An objective measure of pain intensity that is expected to be associated with standard measures, such as visual analog scale (VAS) [1], can complement self-reports that would be useful in clinical practice, such as to monitor the effect of an analgesic drug or track the recovery of the nociceptive system in noncommunicative patients [5, 6]
The results show a global suppression in the alpha rhythms between the EC and EO conditions, especially in the occipital cortices

Summary

Introduction

Especially chronic pain, is one of the biggest public health problems in our society [1]. A survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that low back pain (LBP), migraine or severe headache, and joint pain were the most common types of chronic pain in clinical practice [2]. An effective technique to measure and quantify LBP is needed to achieve better diagnosis and management in clinical settings [3]. An objective measure of pain intensity that is expected to be associated with standard measures, such as visual analog scale (VAS) [1], can complement self-reports that would be useful in clinical practice, such as to monitor the effect of an analgesic drug or track the recovery of the nociceptive system in noncommunicative patients [5, 6]

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Discussion

Conclusion