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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
N. P. Voloshina, V. I. Sukhorukov, S. V. Fedoseev, et al., “Modern approach to the problem of pain syndromes in the back and neck,” in: Materials VI Nat. Congr. Humans Medicine – Ukraine, Kyiv (2014), p. 49.
J. J. Bonica, J. D. Loeser, C. R. Chapman, and W. D. Fordice, The Management of Pain, 2nd ed., Lea Febiger, Philadelphia, No. 1, 18 (1990).
G. N. Kryzhanovsky, Dysregulation Pathology: Handbook for Physicians and Biologists, Meditsina, Moscow (2002).
A. B. Danilov, “Algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of pain in the lower back from the perspective of evidence-based medicine,” Nerve Dis., No. 4, 11-18 (2010).
S. E. Gwilym, H. C. Oag, I. Tracey, and A. J. Carr, “Evidence that central sensitization is present in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome and influences the outcome after surgery,” J. Bone Joint Surg. Br., 93, No. 4, 498-502 (2011).
S. S. Pavlenko, “Pathophysiology of chronic pain,” Direct. Gen. Pract.: Monthly Sci. J., No. 11, 12-20 (2007).
N. P. Voloshyna, T. V. Negreba, and S. V. Fedoseev, “Dorsalgias at the multiple sclerosis,” Ukr. J. Psychoneurol., 15, No. 4, 5-8 (2007).
N. P. Voloshina, I. L. Levchenko, and S. V. Fedoseev, “Electrophysiological indices in patients with neuroinfections and dorsalgia,” Int. Neurol. J., 20, No. 4, 16-20 (2008).
S. V. Fedoseev and I. A. Nazarchuk, “Ethiological and pathogenetic aspects of the reflex vertebro-neurological syndromes from the aspect of the state of the problem (a review),” Ukr. Visn. Psikhonevrol., 23, No. 3(84), 49-52 (2015).
D. Palacios-Ceña, C. Alonso-Blanco, V. Hernández-Barrera, et al., “Prevalence of neck and low back pain in community-dwelling adults in Spain: an updated population-based national study (2009/10–2011/12),” Eur. Spine J., 24, No. 3, 482-492 (2015).
P. S. Nolet, V. L. Kristman, P. Côté, et al., “Is low back pain associated with worse health-related quality of life 6 months later?” Eur. Spine J., 24, No. 3, 458-466 (2015).
M. V. Sukhovii, E. V. Averyanov, and V. I. Semenyaka, Antihomotoxic Therapy of Musculoskeletal Diseases (Guidance for Practitioners), Кyiv (2004).
L. P. Zenkov and M. A. Ronkin, Functional Diagnosis of Nervous Diseases. Guidelines for Physicians, Meditsina, Moscow (1991).
V. M. Smirnov and S. M. Budylina, Physiology of the Sensory Systems and Higher Nervous Activity: a Textbook for University Students, Akademiya, Moscow (2003).
V. N. Kiroi and P. N. Ermakov, EEG and Functional States of Subjects, Publ. House Rostov Univ., Rostovon-Don (1998).
E. A. Zhirmunskaya and V. S. Losev, Systems of Description and Classification of Human Electroencephalograms, Nauka, Moscow (1984).
I. V. Archipenko, S. A. Gulyaev, and S. E. Gulyaev, “Abnormal electroencephalographic symptoms and syndromes,” Pacif. Med. J., No. 4, 16-21 (2013).
H. Luders and S. Noachtar, Atlas and Classification of Electroencephalography, Saunders, Philadelphia (2000).
V. V. Sukhorukov, “Features of the cerebral electrogenesis in patients with multiple sclerosis,” Exp. Klin. Med., No. 3, 107-114 (2015).
M. V. Churyukanov, Central Pain in Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical, Physiological and Neurophysiological Aspects, Abstr. Thesis Cand. Med., Moscow (2010).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nazarchuk, I.A., Sukhorukov, V.I., Zabrodina, L.P. et al. Features of the EEG Spectral Composition in Patients with Cervicocranialgias and Dorsalgias of Different Origin. Neurophysiology 48, 407–413 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-017-9617-y
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-017-9617-y