Changes in spontaneous brain bioelectrical activity during transcranial electrical and electromagnetic stimulation

• Published in: Neuroscience and behavioral physiology 2007-06, Vol.37 (5), p.451-457
• Main Authors: Sharova, E V, Mel'nikov, A V, Novikova, M R, Kulikov, M A, Grechenko, T N, Shekhter, E D, Zaslavskii, A Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Coma - etiology; Coma - physiopathology; Coma - therapy; Craniocerebral Trauma - complications; Craniocerebral Trauma - physiopathology; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Electroencephalography; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Middle Aged; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
• ISSN: 0097-0549; 1573-899X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11055-007-0034-3

The systems responses of the brain to therapeutic transcranial electrical and electromagnetic stimulation were studied and the neurophysiological criteria for assessing the efficacy of this treatment were identified using comparative clinical and experimental studies with analysis of spontaneous bioelectrical activity, along with assessment of behavioral and clinical measures. Study groups consisted of six patients with chronic post-traumatic unconscious states during courses of transcranial electrical stimulation and 17 intact Wistar rats subjected to transcranial electromagnetic stimulation. A relationship was found between the effects of transcranial stimulation and the initial level of intercenter interactions of brain bioelectrical activity assessed in terms of coherence. Hypersynchronization of biopotentials, identified as a major element in the reactivity to this type of stimulation, may be of the greatest value in the recovery of patients with cerebral pathology in cases with initially reduced levels of intercenter interactions in the absence of pathologically increased functional connections in the brain.